Progenitor
by The Straight Elf
Summary: He woke up in Ancient Greece, unaware of the future ahead of him in the land where magic was birthed. Note: Original plot. Constructive criticism is welcome.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm not sure where to go on any other stories, so I decided to make an original plot for a story. Hopefully it will turn out good. Please review.

If anyone has information that could help me make the setting more accurate please leave it in a review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A loud scream erupted from him as he slammed into the soft ground. It was cut off by the impact, which knocked the breath out of him.

His eyes were closed as he recovered, the frantic gasps for oxygen growing less frequent as the seconds moved on. Once he was fully recovered his eyes snapped open and took around his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that wherever he was, it was extremely bright. The second was that he had fallen onto a beach and was a distinctly out of place sight in his black robes, which contrasted sharply with the white sand.

He grunted in pain as he pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing as pain shot through his side. Harry pulled up the robed and exposed the already bruising skin. A sigh emerged from him as he grabbed his wand – which hadn't been damaged in the fall, thankfully – and waved it over the injured area.

The pain was relieved as the magic took effect, and he watched in satisfaction as the purpled skin slowly shifted back to its true color. Harry repeated the action over any other areas that were pained, seeking to alleviate any possible weaknesses before he had to do anything else.

When he was finished, he began to assess his situation. His eyes narrowed as he tried to think how he had gotten here. It was curiously hard to remember what he had been doing for the past day, although he remembered flashes of green light and shouts.

He eventually grew frustrated and stood up to get more information on where he was. There wasn't much to see, really. Just pristine white beaches and rocky outcroppings.

As far as he could tell, there were no signs of civilization. Harry knew he wasn't particularly adept at survival – it was Hermione who had kept him alive when he had been hunting the horcruxes a few years ago – and he was feeling far too drained to attempt to apparate. Besides, anyone stupid enough to apparate somewhere when they had no idea where they were was just asking to get splinched.

After several hours of searching for food or civilization, Harry noticed that the sun was beginning to fall. Not knowing what kind of ridiculously dangerous magical creatures prowled this place at night, he set out to make himself a shelter.

He found a likely looking place, a high wall of rock somewhat hidden by a thin layer of trees, and aimed his wand at it. Focusing upon the incantations in his mind and absentmindedly stabbing his wand towards a section of the rock the man carved himself out a small shelter.

Once it had gone far enough back for him to be comfortable with and retreat further into if necessary, Harry conjured himself a sturdy, semi-comfortable bed. He finished altering the cave to his liking nearly an hour later and sealed the entrance just as the familiar shrill cries of griffins began to pierce through the warm night air from above, and the last remnants of light that reflected off of the moon cast the shadows of the griffins launching off of the cliffs above.

Harry paled as he realized how close he had made his shelter to griffin aeries. He had no doubt he could fight off one or two, but the notoriously territorial and fierce creatures almost always lived in large flocks. This new, unforeseen problem meant he would be forced to leave the area lest he be disemboweled.

But it did narrow down his locations. The only place griffins were actually native to was Greece, although many had adapted quite well to other areas around the Mediterranean. They particularly liked Egypt, if Harry remembered his classes like.

It certainly helped, at least. Since he doubted he was in Egypt, he assumed that he was in Greece or somewhere near it.

Of course that raised the question of why in Merlin's name he was in Greece.

Frustrated and exhausted, the wizard decided to go to sleep. Although the shrieks of the griffins kept him paranoid and awake, the tired wizard eventually fell into unconsciousness.

Harry didn't know how long it had been since he fell asleep, but he felt much better. His body was rested, and the last remnants of the pain from yesterday were gone. The only problem he faced was hunger, which was something he was sure he could fix relatively easily. All he needed to do was catch a fish, make it fit for eating, and multiply it. For now, however, he needed to get out of here while the griffins were sleeping the day away.

He cast a series of charms that would fulfill his normal morning routine before he set off. Instead of blindly searching around, he put a series of silencing and disillusionment charms, as well as odor eliminating charms to keep any other creatures from detecting him.

It was extremely noisy when he left his shelter, and he mentally cursed the birds that were constantly singing. He might be driven to paranoia by silence, but at least he would be able to hear what monstrous creature would be trying to devour the tasty flesh of the Boy-Who-Lived.

When he had made his way back to the beach and could no longer see the cliff, Harry began his attempts at catching food. The man aimed his wand towards the gentle waves soaking the shoreline and flicked it towards himself, focusing upon the image of a fish. To be honest, he had no idea what kind of fish would be around him. He just hoped his need for sustenance would make the spell powerful enough to get him some sort of food.

For several seconds nothing happened, and a groan of disappointment emerged from him. Then his eyes detected a small shape being torn out of the water.

Harry gave himself a mental pat on the back and prepared to catch the flailing form of the fish. As the small, wriggling creature flashed towards him, he raised a hand and easily caught it.

He looked down at the fish, trying to see if it had any dangerous, magical poison sacs or whatnot when he heard a rustling sound behind him. Surprised, he dropped his breakfast and spun towards the source of the disturbance. A thin trail of silvery sparks trailed behind his wand as he whipped it towards the noise, and a small of orb of magical energy focused on the tip.

Harry was relieved when he saw it was just a young woman. She was staring at the sparks with a mixture of awe and fear, giving the wizard a chance to take her in.

The woman was wearing a robe-like rectangular piece of clothing, which was obviously homespun, and had dark eyes and olive skin. If it were not for the clothing and being the only other human he had seen in this place, she would have been completely unremarkable.

But the fact was that she was the only other human he had seen so far, and he wouldn't mind returning to civilization. He momentarily stole a glance down at the fish, which was still flailing futilely on the sand. Harry grimaced as he thought of how badly it would end up tasting and resolved to get her to take him back to wherever she was from.

"Hello," Harry began in a friendly tone, "do you mind telling me where I can get food? Shelter that isn't just a hole in a rock would be nice as well."

He rolled his eyes when she blankly gazed at him, clearly not comprehending a single word he'd just said. Harry reviewed some of the charms he knew before choosing one of the more useful ones.

As the wand waved over him, he muttered a word in bastardized Latin. When he felt the magic fully take hold of him, he repeated his earlier statement.

Harry felt a well of satisfaction bubble up inside of him as he saw her instant comprehension. He felt another twinge of annoyance when he realized he hadn't applied the required secondary charm upon himself. Whatever she was saying was as illegible to him as English was to her.

He applied it with a quick jab of his wand, and he instantly began to understand the torrent of words that she was spouting out.

"…village is a bit that way, but I can take you there! We just need to stay out of the way of the griffins."

"Yes," he said wearily, "that would be nice."

The girl looked at him closely. She seemed to be somewhat confused by his clothing, although his wand seemed to attract most of her attention. Harry cut her examination off early.

"I will be more than happy to answer any questions you would like to ask once I get to your village. It's been a day or so since I've eaten."

She nodded. "Follow me then, we should be there soon."

Harry nodded thankfully as his stomach growled and followed her when she abruptly turned around and walked off.

He wasn't impressed when they walked into a small, shabby village. There didn't seem to be any semblance of modern technology or magic, and the inhabitants were dressed nearly identically to the woman that brought him here. They looked at him oddly, and seemed particularly interested in his long, flowing robes and pale complexion. Harry examined them in turn, and concluded that they each needed a shower.

His new acquaintance tugged on his sleeve when he slowed down too much. "Come. I'm sure that our leader will have many questions for you."

"Alright," Harry shrugged, "but do you mind getting me some food and water while I answer them? By the way," he questioned, "what's your name anyways?"

She smiled at him as she answered. "I'm surprised it took you this long to ask. If you must know, it's Elysia."

Harry smiled in turn. "It seems I must thank you, Elysia, for bringing me here. My name's Harry."

"That's a…unique name," Elysia said. Harry merely shrugged as they entered a small home, noting that it seemed to be made of muds bricks covered in some unknown material. He glanced around, noting that it was completely bare except for a single, wizened old man. The old man's eyes were closed, and short, steady breaths exuded from him. He seemed to have not even noticed their arrival.

Elysia bowed before him, and Harry bowed his head in turn. He didn't particularly know why, but he felt as though it would best if he didn't anger the old man.

"Elder Artaxes, I discovered him," here she motioned towards Harry, "on the beach, near the griffin aeries." Harry felt a sense of unease wash over him as the old man's eyes snapped open, revealing keen orbs of silver. He was reminded of Ollivander even as Elysia resumed her report. "He was lost and starving. Probably wouldn't have lasted much longer."

The old man stayed silent. Elysia continued, seeming to be practically frantic in her attempt to prove this wasn't a waste of his time. "But that isn't all. He can make fire!"

Harry mentally groaned. If he was lucky, he would be able to obliviate them both and avoid trouble with the aurors for breaking the Statute of Secrecy. Considering how backwards and seemingly isolated the tiny village was – they lived only a few miles away from griffin aeries, for Merlin's sake – he probably wouldn't even have to do that.

For the first time, the man spoke. "We can all make fire, girl. It isn't a new discovery."

He felt any semblance of panic shrink back at that statement. Perhaps he would only have to take care of the girl before he found the Greek Ministry and returned home.

"But he didn't need tools!" the girl cried. "He made it with a piece of wood!" Harry groaned as he saw the old man's interest peak.

"Is this true?" the old man questioned Harry. The wizard met Artaxes' narrowed eyes.

"Of course not," he replied smoothly, "that's impossible."

He felt chills race up his spine as the old man smirked, the silvery eyes glistening in amusement. "Then I suppose this is impossible as well, eh?" Artaxes retorted, outstretching a long, bony finger. With a twist of his wrist, a small green flame flickered into existence on the tip of the finger.

Harry blinked. He wasn't expecting to meet another wizard, especially not in this backwater town. But this surprise was also an unexpected boon. Artaxes would be able to point him to the nearest place to get a portkey and he would be happily on his way to Britain, where he wouldn't have to worry about being disemboweled by vicious lion and eagle hybrids.

"Considering that you're doing it right now, I doubt it's impossible," Harry said dryly. "But I suppose it proves your point."

He carefully withdrew his wand from his sleeve. Harry didn't miss the old man studying it in amazement. A flick of the wand sent scarlet sparks cascading out of it in warning. Both Artaxes and Elysia flinched in surprise.

"Now, are there any others with our…abilities in the village?"

"No," the old man replied with a mournful shake of his head, "I am the last."

Harry nodded. With such a small population it was a miracle a single wizard had sprung into being. "How sad. But could you direct me to the nearest portkey or apparition point?"

He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as Artaxes showed no sign of recognition. Before he could speak again, the old man cut him off.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Now it's time for my own questions to be answered."

Harry nodded and acquiesced. "First," the old man asked, "what is that piece of wood you have? I've never seen anything like it."

He could only gape in surprise. "You've never seen a wand before?" he sputtered, "How did you learn to use magic?"

Artaxes raised an eyebrow. "Magic," he muttered, "so that's what you call it. But I've never heard of a wand. Perhaps it is different where you come from. And where is that, exactly?"

"Considering that you've never heard of wands, I doubt you've ever heard of England."

The old man nodded to confirm that fact.

Feeling a sudden feeling of dread well up within him, Harry asked a question. "Could you tell me what year it is?"

He wasn't sure why he asked the question. It was a foolish thing to ask, really. As isolated as these people seemed to be, it shouldn't have been such a huge stretch for them to know nothing of the outside world. But surely even these people would know the year. The old man's ignorance could also be excused, considering that he didn't even know what a wand was.

Unfortunately, his fears were confirmed by the man's next sentence.

"Year?" Artaxes asked confusedly. "What is that?"

A mildly shaking Harry answered in a monotone as his thoughts raced. "It's the full cycle of the seasons, how long it takes to orbit the sun. Twelve months, three hundred and sixty-five days."

The old man stroked his chin, betraying the fact that he wasn't as omniscient as his appearance suggested. "Why would we record such things? All we need to know is when we can attempt to farm and when we can safely fish."

Harry groaned. He was hoping that he was merely delirious from lack of food and water and was imagining all of this. Or that he was just in a hidden, magical place that never evolved with the rest of the world. Being in a dream world would be nice as well.

"Tell me," he whispered, "are there any other towns or villages in the area? I need to get back home."

A lie, of course. He didn't expect that his home even existed yet.

"Of course!" Artaxes replied. "We trade with Athens. It's a small town about a two days journey away."

Once more, Harry gaped. He wasn't particularly adept with history, but even he knew that it had been quite awhile since Athens was able to be classified as a small town.

"Would anyone here be able to take me there? Perhaps I would be able to navigate my way back home from there."

Artaxes nodded. "Several of our men are going there tomorrow to find tools, all of ours are in great need of repair. You are welcome to travel with them."

"Thank you," Harry said, and reached out his hand to the man. Artaxes did not accept it, and the wizard felt a bad feeling wash over him as a devious smirk emerged on the elder man's face.

"You are welcome to travel with them," the man continued, "provided you provide us with some sort of payment. We barely produce enough food to support ourselves as it is, and even a small journey takes a fair amount of our resources. And an extra person on that journey could possibly take more than we can afford to give."

"Fine," the younger wizard said in acceptance, knowing he was trapped. "What do you want?"

"Nothing of great import. I merely desire to know more of these gifts we have."

Harry was both glad and hesitant of this offer. He would have to avoid giving any particular secrets of magic, in order to keep Artaxes from knowing anything the world wasn't ready for. But he could give him pointers in how to more effectively control the magic that flowed through his body.

He met the silver eyes once more, and, struck by the similarity to Ollivander, thought that he might just impart some basic knowledge of wandcraft to the old wizard.

Artaxes spoke to Elysia, who had silently been in the background as the wizards talked. "Elysia, please go bring us food and wine."

Harry felt that this was going to be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2: Athens

**A/N: Here's the next installment of Progenitor. Hope you like it and as always, review. By the way, if anyone has any way for me to make the setting more accurate, please tell me what I could do. **

Travelling to Athens was one of the most miserable things he'd ever done. Greece was hotter than he expected it to be, and was too wary of the men he was travelling with to use magic. He wouldn't get into trouble with anyone for using it, granted, but he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. His robes did that job well enough already.

Aside from the sweltering heat, the "road" they were following was little more than a thin path by the monstrously high cliffs they were travelling by. He had nearly tripped several times, and was well aware of his travelling companions laughing at him.

But what was by far the worst factor in this journey was the great amounts of magical creatures that roamed the land, untamed and free to exercise the great power they were born with. None were very aggressive, and most were weak enough that they were practically harmless, but he'd seen griffins soaring through the air and circling them several times.

It was because of this that he kept a firm hand on his wand at all times. The other men didn't seem too concerned with the creatures, although they still periodically glanced upwards at the griffins.

On the second day, Harry was in worse shape. He was sore, dirty, and still couldn't drift away to use refreshing charms on himself. This situation reminded him far too much of the miserable year he'd spent hunting horcruxes, and even then he wasn't nearly as sore.

The men he was travelling with didn't slow down for him either, and just laughed at him as he struggled to keep up with their brisk pace. He knew that he wasn't in the best of shape, since it wasn't necessary for any of his work, but this was simply embarrassing. And since he wasn't able to use charms – something that would easily even out the disparities between his physical and magical strength – he wasn't even able to make use of his own strengths.

When he saw a mountain in the distance, he could almost feel the pain his legs would be going through. In an attempt to take his thoughts off the future pain, he attempted to start up a conversation.

"So how far away are we from Athens anyways?" Harry asked.

One of the men, Agathon if he remembered correctly, shrugged his shoulders as he answered. "Not much longer. I recognize the landscape. When we get past that mountain," he said, pointing to it, "we'll be able to see it."

"Ah," he said, trying to judge how far away it was. An awkward silence ensued, only to broken by Harry once more. "What does Athens look like anyways? I've never been."

Agathon smiled as he reminisced about the ancient settlement. "Not much more impressive than our village in a lot of ways. It's bigger, of course, and definitely richer. But the only remarkable thing about it is how old it is. There are old buildings and temples around the city, although no one really knows who made them. Other than that it's just a normal town."

After Agathon's informatory speech, Harry remained silent. He was trying to put the tiny, splintered pieces of Greek history he knew together. If he was lucky, those scraps would give him at least some form of date.

He continued to muse on it even as they climbed the treacherous slopes of the mountain an hour or so later, and almost tripped over surprisingly thick roots several times. Harry always managed to catch himself at the last moment, although that didn't keep the Greeks from snickering at him again.

It really was quite irritating.

But all that irritation vanished as they reached the peak of the mountain. Harry was still for a moment, gazing at the view in awe.

Three other mountains surrounded Athens, which was plainly quite small compared to its vast surroundings. But it made up for it with plenty of ancient looking ruins that dominated the areas around the inhabited city, their crumbling stone walls making the place look far more regal than it truly was.

Harry shook his head after a while and began to follow the path downwards, quickly reaching his travelling companions. They were clearly accustomed to the sight, as they spared no attention towards the view.

Agathon chuckled at him when he finally caught them. "It's always like that the first time you come here. You'll get used to it."

When they finally reached the town, Harry was struck by just how small it was. Even he'd seen photographs of Athens, despite his immersion in the magical world. It wasn't nearly as large as many of the cities he'd seen, but Athens was still a city that dwarfed this town a million times over.

Its small size didn't keep it from being extremely busy, however. The salty sea air seemed to invigorate the populace as they bustled around. Many were simply people carrying goods to the small market or walking down to the crude port, where simple, yet sturdy, boats were awaiting. They were clearly primitive, and were only large enough for a few people at the most, but Harry had a feeling that they were more resilient than they looked.

Aside from the more mundane villagers and townspeople, there were also several people that were much more dangerous looking. They seemed to be hunters, and had different features than the people of Athens. The difference was subtle, but it made their scowling faces look all the more alien to the townspeople. Of course the bows and simple knives that the hunters possessed likely helped.

Harry didn't like the predatory gaze they aimed at his group, although he knew he would easily fight them off should they try anything. He was relieved when the group grew closer to the market and the hunters left them.

Agathon turned towards him. "The Elder did not say whether you would be returning to the village or not, nor of your other plans. So, will you be returning with us?"

He wasn't hesitant in his answer. "I think not. But," he said, "one day I might return."

The man nodded his consent. "Very well. But," he whispered to him, "Here's a word of advice. Did you see those hunters?"

"Yes. They seem…different."

"That's because they are," Agathon said. "You should avoid them; they've caused some trouble for newcomers in the past. Unless you think you could fight them off, you should try to remain as inconspicuous as possible."

"Thanks for the advice," Harry said gratefully. Agathon smiled in return, but opened his mouth once more.

"One more thing. If you seek aid or need help finding something to do, I suggest you speak to Iakchos. He's a cranky old fool, but mention that you're friends with me and he'll give you just about anything you could want. The man has quite a bit of power in this town, and is probably the wealthiest man in Athens."

Harry gazed at him. "Do I even want to know why you're so confident that he will help me?"

Agathon shook his head, grinning. "No, you probably don't."

"Well then," the wizard said somewhat awkwardly, "I suppose this is goodbye for now."

"I suppose it is," the Greek shrugged, "perhaps we'll meet each other again one day."

Harry nodded back at him, and they parted ways. The men from the village merged into the crowd in the market, and the wizard quickly lost sight of them.

Now what was he supposed to do, Harry wondered. He supposed that he would need to buy some of the clothes the Greeks were wearing, and then find some sort of occupation to support himself as he searched for a way home. There was no point in attempting to apparate back to Britain, considering that he was in a different time. All he could do was hope there was some way to transport himself back home.

He truly hoped he would find a way back. Harry wasn't looking forward to spending the rest of his life in a place where he was likely to be eaten by some sort of magical creature. It would be paradise for Hagrid, perhaps, but hell for him.

Harry took his thoughts away from that train of thought. He didn't need to be musing right now; he needed to be finding himself a way to survive.

His talents would certainly be useful, considering that he could replicate food as many times as he needed. And he was quite sure that there were various magical creatures too powerful for the people of Greece to fight off by themselves.

For now, however, he would wander around the town. It was likely this would be his new home for some time.

It wasn't very long before he was bored of the town, having familiarized himself with any landmarks he would need to find his way through it. He was well aware of the strange looks he was attracting with his pale skin and different features, and his long robes didn't help either. They weren't particularly well-suited to the near tropical climate, and he was thinking of abandoning them altogether the moment he received his new clothes.

He needed money for that, of course, and that was why he was currently heading to the home of Iakchos. Harry was quite thankful for the advice Agathon had given to him, knowing someone who could help him was making this go by much faster than it would have otherwise.

That didn't mean it was easy to find the old man's home, however. The streets seemed to be completely unorganized, and any of the townspeople he spoke to either regarded him with suspicion or were too timid to answer him.

Perhaps it was the fact he stood several inches over most of them, an advantage of having a healthy diet since the age of eleven. And probably hidden nutrition potions slipped into his food at Hogwarts as well, he thought to himself.

But as it was, it had taken him quite a while to find someone willing to point him in the right direction. Or at least he hoped it was the right direction.

The fisherman had pointed him towards one of the few ruins that was still sturdy enough to live in, although it still looked as though it would collapse at any moment. A crude wooden door hid the interior of the home from view, and he felt almost nervous as he light rapped on it.

Despite the groans the aged wood emanated, it held strong when it was yanked open by an irate old man. He was even smaller than the other inhabitants of Athens, and was surprisingly ancient looking considering this time period. Most probably would have died from any combination of things by now.

"What do you want?" the man growled, reminding Harry distinctly of Alastor Moody.

"I am looking for Iakchos. Are you he?"

The old man looked up at the much taller man with suspicion. "Depends on who's asking. What's your name, boy?"

"My name is Harry." The wizard said.

"What kind of name is Harry?" The old man scoffed. "But you're right, I'm Iakchos of Athens. Now," he asked, "what do you want?"

Harry answered smoothly. "I'm looking for a new start, you see, and a friend of mine said that you would be able to help me."

"I'm not often in the business of helping others," Iakchos snorted, "and who told you that?"

"A man from a village not too far away from here named Agathon." Harry smirked, "He said you would know the name."

Iakchos sagged in defeat. "Fine, but if you ever see him than you should tell him and that old fool Artaxes that this is the last favor I'm doing for them. And they'd better be grateful for it too."

"I'll be sure to do that," Harry reassured him. "Now, what could I do?"

"That depends," Iakchos said in an annoyed tone, "what can you do? What kind of skills do you have?"

"Err," Harry said, trying to think of any skills he had besides magic. He wasn't particularly surprised when he found that there weren't many. Of course, he could always just make one up. Magic would fix any of the resulting problems.

"I'm good at fighting," he said, "and I'm rather versatile when it comes to survival skills." A blatant lie, of course. The only way he knew how to survive was to hide and replicate as much food and water as was necessary.

"Hmm," the old man grumbled, stroking his wispy silver beard. "We have too many mercenaries and woodsman coming through here as it is. But I think I have a job for you," Iakchos said with gleaming eyes.

"I'll take it!" Harry said, although he was beginning to have a bad feeling about this. It was not relieved when Iakchos spoke once more, this time with a cruel smirk on his face.

"Good, good. Now," the old man said, "come inside. We'll need to discuss the details."

Harry followed the frail form of the old man, albeit hesitantly. His instincts were screaming at him that he was an idiot, and when the old man openly started snickering at him, he was inclined to agree.

"Damn it," he groaned to himself, "why am I such a bloody idiot?"

It had been two days since he set out on his job, and he was truly contemplating walking away from it. Unfortunately, the old man had warned him that there would be no work for him in Athens if he quit. And since Athens was the only place in Greece that Harry's woefully uneducated mind was aware of, he was cornered.

And so he was still wandering around in the wilderness, looking for the steep cliffs Iakchos had spoken to him about. This so-called job was apparently a suicide mission, judging from how gleeful the old man's expression was.

These last two days had been miserable, and he was still judging the wisdom of travelling so often on such sore muscles. If he failed at this job, however, he wouldn't need to worry about that.

Because he'd be dead. And probably being eaten by some very angry creatures.

The only good thing about this situation was that his rations were still holding out. He hadn't even been forced to replicate them yet, although that even was growing near in the case of the water skin he had been given. He'd immediately transfigured a nearby stone into a modern thermos, and transferred all of the water into it.

He had remembered some of the lessons he had learned from is horcrux hunt and boiled the water, killing the bacteria that he likely had no sort of defense against. The food was surprisingly good, or at least it wasn't as disgusting as the "food" Artaxes had given to him. And the sparse amount of meat he was given wasn't maggot-ridden, so he supposed that was a good thing.

Harry continued to reflect on his experiences and fortunes over the past few days until he stepped out of the forest he was in into a massive clearing. He looked around in awe at the great cliffs that were just ahead of him, and were undoubtedly the cliffs Iakchos had sent him to look for.

Now it was just a matter of not getting killed.

The wizard drew his wand and discarded his robes and supplies. They would only hamper him down in this fight. With a silent charm he dulled his hearing and applied a host of proximity charms, which would tell him when his quarry drew near, around his position, as well as a host of protective enchantments. His last action was to attach a mild sticking charm to his wand hand. He didn't need his wand being knocked out of his hand in the middle of the fight.

Silently commending himself for the incredible stupidity of the stunt he was about to pull, Harry pointed his wand in the direction of the cliff and uttered a word.

He was thankful for his weakened hearing when a loud, piercing noise erupted from his wand. Even with his weakened sense, the shriek still made him want to cover his ears.

The wizard prepared himself as he saw the wild life around him flying and running away. It was scarcely a few seconds later when a massive shadow erupted from a hidden cave on the side of the steep wall of rock, shrieking its own response to Harry's spell.

His eyes widened as the most gigantic griffon he'd ever seen became visible in the afternoon light, its golden fur and fierce yellow eyes seemingly absorbing the sun light. Massive wings with silvery feathers unfurled behind it as it fell, allowing it to slowly glide towards the wizard.

Harry was aware of its curious, yet territorial, gaze upon him, quietly judging whether he was harmless or not. It seemed to judge that he was a threat, as the great creature lowered into a steep dive towards him, great claws outstretched and cruel, hooked beak snapping open.

Had he not taken the precaution of weakening his hearing, the loud, piercing cry the griffin released would have made his ears bleed. As it was, it broke his concentration enough to where he was barely able to erect a shield charm in time to protect himself from the beast.

It shrieked its outrage when the shield caused the formidable creature to glance off of its target, sending it careening to the side. Harry spared no time in firing off a volley of cutting curses at the griffin as it regained its footing.

The avian head released yet another shriek of outrage, and reared up in rage as it felt the magic make contact with its bestial form. Harry cursed when he realized that his spells had scarcely done a thing to the magical beast.

He fired off several more cutting curses at the griffin's exposed throat as it lunged at him. The creature dodged the flares of light with impossible speed, and one of the long, curved claws made contact with his arm.

Harry hissed in pain as he spun away, releasing a blasting curse in an attempt to get the griffin away from him. The purple flash of light made contact with the golden fur of the griffin's chest, causing it to squawk in outrage as it was thrown backwards by the spell's force.

While the griffin was regaining its focus, the wizard quickly used an episkey to heal the shallow gash left by the beast's sharp claws. He quickly utilized the stunned griffin's momentary weakness and backed away.

When he was safely out of the reach of the enraged creature, Harry leveled his wand at the griffin and began firing volley after volley of spells. Most were simple, such as the stunners and minor jinxes that would slightly weaken the griffin, while others were more complex, such as the blasting curses and bludgeoning curses.

Harry almost felt sorry for the griffin as it was bombarded with the myriad of spells. It had had virtually no time to recover after that initial blasting curse, and was now being pummeled senseless by the magic. All the majestic griffin was capable of doing was squawk angrily and unfurl the massive wings on its back in an attempt to intimidate him.

Unfortunately for Harry, the griffin managed to dodge one of his badly aimed spells. It was bleeding and certainly had several grievous injuries, no matter how powerful its resistance to magic was, but that only served to accentuate the rage that had gathered in the griffin's eyes.

It charged forward, heedless to the curses the wizard was firing at it in panic. When the griffin was only a few meters away, it leapt at the wizard with outstretched claws and hatred in its eyes.

Harry managed to dodge its razor sharp beak as it snapped at him, but was less fortunate when it came to the claws. Two of the griffin's massive paws landed on his chest, knocking him to the ground. He collided painfully, and was momentarily stunned. All he was aware of was the massive weight of the griffin focused painfully on his chest, and the smell of bloody feathers and fur.

He only managed to snap himself out of it when the griffin shrieked its triumph to the sky, a high, shrill note that sent any remaining wild life surging away. Harry fumbled with his wand, which had remained in his hand thanks to the sticking charm, and managed to aim it at the griffin's head before he closed his eyes.

"Lumos Solem!" Harry yelled as the griffin's shriek of triumph finally ended. A shriek of pain emanated from the griffin as the light of the sun burst out of Harry's wand and into the powerful creature's eyes. The wizard was thankful for the spell as the pained griffin backed off of him, trying to paw at its eyes ineffectually.

He groaned as he leapt up from the ground, ignoring the spots that the spell had caused in his own eyes. Harry was well aware of the pain in his chest whenever he took a breath, and silently cursed at the griffin for making his injuries that much more complicated to heal.

The wizard ignored his pain for the moment and leveled his wand yet again at the pitiful looking griffin, which no longer looked quite as majestic. Its injuries were obvious, and there was plenty of blood staining the fur coat, which Harry doubted was his.

Harry was aware that he was beginning to feel light-headed, and knew that he had to end this battle quickly. His mouth formed the words that he had hated so much throughout the years, but sometimes necessary in order to save something pain.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" He roared. An emerald flash of light blasted out of his wand, the blinding light illuminating the clearing for a brief second. It made contact with the griffin, whose injuries had weakened it enough for it to be affected by the spell.

He sighed as the powerful beast slumped to the ground, the fierce golden eyes now glazed and empty.

Harry walked to a tree, momentarily abandoning his slain adversary. He quickly cast a myriad of rudimentary healing spells over himself, and sighed in relief as the worst of the injuries knit themselves together again.

It was slightly painful when his cracked rib molded itself to its original form, but it was much better than dying from an organ that got cut by any splintered bone.

After about an hour, Harry felt good enough to collect the proof that he had slain the griffin. He walked over to the fallen beast on unsteady legs and plucked several feathers and summoned one of its claws from the massive paws.

When he had put his trophies in the bag Iakchos had given him, he waved his wand at the ground. Harry felt somewhat mournful over the killing of the griffin, and felt that he should at least try to give the symbol of his Hogwarts house an honorable burial.

A massive pile of dirt was torn from the ground, leaving a wide rectangular space. Another flick of his wand levitated the griffin, and a few motions of his wand had the once majestic creature lying firmly in the ground. Several more flicks were required to get the wings in a dignified position, and he looked at his handiwork for a moment before replacing the dirt over the broken body of the griffin.

He took one last look at his defeated foe before he returned to Athens.

Harry dropped the bag on Iakchos' table, smirking at the old man's bemused expression when he saw him.

"You're still alive?" the old man said in both wonder and annoyance. His eyes narrowed, "Judging from that insolent smirk you actually completed the job, or at least got someone else to do it for you."

"Trust me, old man," Harry said, "I finished the job."

"Then show me the goods," Iakchos growled.

Harry complied with the request, untying the bag to show the old man the griffin feathers and claw. Iakchos took one of the feathers and looked at it for a moment before turning back to the wizard.

"I don't know how you did this, but you did." The old man laughed for a moment before continuing. "Of course, if you just found these in the wilderness somewhere and that troublesome beast shows up again I'll just have to run you out of town."

"Don't worry," Harry retorted, "I'm not enough of an idiot to try that. Now, how about my payment?"

"Fine," Iakchos scowled. "I'll get it to you in a moment. But if you need a job later, I'll likely have one. There are plenty of monsters that are causing trouble," he growled at him, "and I'm interested in seeing if your luck holds out."

Harry simply smirked at Iakchos as the old man placed a small leather bag in front of him, the tell-tale jingling of metal giving away its contents.

"Don't worry Iakchos," he called as he left the ruin, "I'll be back soon enough."

But for now, he needed to buy some clothes that would let him blend in with the average Greek. Then his attempts to get home would begin.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: If anyone wants to beta this for me, just send me a message. Hope anyone who reads this is pleased, and remember to review.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP.

It had been a long three months for Harry Potter. Although he had acclimated quite well to life in Greece – a liberal use of charms gave him most of the modern comforts he was used to – he still felt a faint desire to be reunited with his friends.

That need had been steadily fading for several weeks now, although he still desired to return home. Even though it was easier than expected to make a life for himself in this time period, he didn't particularly want to stay here. There was simply too much danger, which was something he had been steadfastly attempting to avoid since Voldemort's death.

But, he thought as he left Iakchos' home once more, yet another large bag of copper coins jingling as he was walked, there was no use in moping. Despite having the most ridiculously dangerous occupation in Greece – hunting down and slaying local magical creatures that were causing problems – he had managed to thrive in the wilderness. His job certainly wasn't a chore to him, and despite the risk that accompanied each mission he actually enjoyed hunting down the powerful creatures.

Granted, he would give it up in a second if it meant returning home, but it wasn't too bad at the moment. So long as he never had to combat anything more dangerous than the average griffin or marauding centaurs he was more than happy to take care of the problems. It was when he would be asked to fight extremely dangerous beasts – XXXXX classified by the Ministry – such as chimaeras or manticores that he drew the line.

Although he was confident in his abilities, he knew he wasn't powerful enough to fight creatures like that without an incredible advantage.

Harry took his mind off of those thoughts when he saw a young man running at him. The boy, who was slightly younger than he was, didn't seem to be hostile but Harry put a hand on his wand as a precaution. He knew all of the townspeople these days, and this boy was an outsider in Athens.

He lazily scanned the boy, making sure that he wasn't making some foolhardy attempt to attack him. When the boy began to speak, Harry raised a hand.

"Who are you, and what is your business with me?" He asked suspiciously.

The boy spoke calmly, and his words carried an aristocratic air to them. "My name is Herpo, and I am looking for a man named Harry." the wizard didn't miss the fact that the name was spoken in distaste as the boy continued speaking, "Are you him?"

"Depends on who's asking," Harry said, mimicking the words Iakchos had spoken to him several months ago.

"So you are Harry," Herpo said in annoyance.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, I am. Now I repeat, what is your business?"

Herpo scratched his chin. "I seek many things, but there is one goal that I believe you would be of great aid in. You see, what I seek most is guidance. Specifically," he said, aiming a piercing stare at Harry, "on my gift."

The wizard's eyes widened. He had no idea how the boy discovered his abilities, but he intended to find out. But for now, he would try to discover what the boy knew.

"What gift?" Harry asked. "I'm afraid that I have no idea what you're talking about."

This seemed to annoy the boy. "Don't play dumb with me," Herpo hissed, "I have heard tales of the great warrior who slaughters the divine beasts with nothing but his bare hands."

"Great warrior?" Harry asked dumbly. He didn't know who had spread that tale, but they were sorely mistaken. Not that they knew that he used magic to slay the griffins and centaurs, of course. But still, how could anyone mistake him for a warrior. He was taller than most men, true, and towered above Herpo, but he was far too weak to actually fight with one of the crude, heavy bronze blades.

Herpo rolled his eyes at him. "Yes, great warrior. To even injure one of the divine beasts is a mark of incredible strength and power, to actually slay one by yourself is as near a miracle as I've ever heard of." The boy examined him with his yellow-tinged eyes as he spoke, "If those tales aren't exaggerated of course."

"They aren't," the wizard said. "Now get on with it."

"Of course," the boy hastily apologized. "But I can see that you are nowhere near strong enough to actually fight one of the beasts and win in single combat, which lends even more credit to my theory."

Harry didn't like where this was going, but motioned for the boy to continue.

"You see," Herpo continued, "I have found that I can do extraordinary things, feats that no other man can accomplish. Should I desire it enough, I can heal moderate injuries, I can make things come towards me and make things fly away. But one of my most important finds is that I am much more resilient to injury than others around me, and am stronger than most, regardless of my size."

He gave in, realizing that if the boy had deduced this much then he might discover branches of magic better left untouched. If he was fortunate, a bit of education would satisfy the boy's curiosity. Of course, he would simply have to obliviate him or put the boy down if he tried to access any of the Dark Arts.

It was then that he made up his mind. "Come with me," he said. "I suppose I will need to give you some sort of education, if only to keep you from doing something stupid."

Herpo's eyes lit up in excitement, and his previously solemn and dignified appearance vanished. He managed to restrain himself from asking questions out in the open, but Harry saw his body twitching in glee from the corner of his eyes.

"Calm down," he said sternly, "or you'll draw attention to yourself."

Harry could hear the skepticism in Herpo's voice as he replied. "Please, teacher, the townspeople are in far too much awe of you to be suspicious. They will simply assume that I will be your new apprentice."

"Except you aren't." the wizard shot back, "I'm going to answer a few of your questions and then send you off on your way. I don't need an apprentice."

Herpo remained quiet, although Harry didn't pay that much attention to him until they reached his home. "Welcome to my humble abode," Harry said, sweeping his arm out dramatically over the small wooden home.

The boy didn't seem to be impressed with the house, which lent credence to Harry's theory that he was somewhat wealthy. Not that the house – practically a shack by modern standards – was particularly impressive in the first place, but it was still somewhat larger than the average home in Athens.

Harry motioned for Herpo to find himself a chair while the wizard waved his hand over the bag of coins he'd been carrying, transferring it into a hidden room he'd carved out beneath his home. It was an extremely simple spell, and one that he'd practiced relentlessly until he was fully capable of using it wandlessly and silently, but it was still more than enough to impress Herpo. The boy had likely never seen controlled magic after all, and if he did he would likely have no idea of what he had seen.

"How did you do that?" whispered the younger wizard. His pale yellow eyes were wide and slightly fearful, yet held a look of curiosity and awe at the same time.

The wizard smirked and flicked his wrist, copying the trick Artaxes had shown to him. A thin tendril of flame licked over his hands, winding around his fingers. "Magic, of course. It is the name of our gift, and works in many ways. For those who know nothing of the art, it manifests itself in random accidents or better physical attributes."

"So…" Herpo said quietly, "this "magic" is what allows me to be so special?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. Although it doesn't make you any better than the ordinary people around you. Just because you have been given a gift doesn't mean that you are free to abuse it."

"Of course," the boy nodded eagerly, the very picture of humility. "It is to help people, correct? We must have been blessed for a reason, after all."

The wizard nodded once more. "You should always use it to help people, although you can improve your own situation in the process. I'll use myself as an example. I slay the dangerous creatures that prey upon the defenseless, and make enough money to live comfortably in the process."

Herpo nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "I understand. But," he asked curiously, "how did you learn to manipulate magic to do your bidding? You said that you had to be trained to control it."

"I suppose I did," Harry sighed. "I would rather not explain that, it's a remnant of a past I'd prefer to forget. But you are correct, to utilize your gift to its full potential, you must have training. Some of us can control it to a certain degree, but they can never control magic beyond influencing it with their emotions."

"I understand." The boy repeated. "If you are uncomfortable with teaching me, I will leave now. But I would like to use this gift to help the unfortunate in this land, and I believe that you are the only one who could teach me," Herpo pleaded.

Harry reviewed his assessment on not teaching the younger wizard, moved by the impassioned desire to learn. He didn't know what it was about Herpo, but the boy was able to make him feel his desire to help others. It was then that he made up his mind.

"Very well," he said, and saw Herpo's face light up in happiness. "I will teach you, so long as you swear an oath."

Herpo eagerly nodded, and Harry clasped his hand in his own. He hid his other hand in his sleeve, and felt the wand heat up as a weaker version of the Unbreakable Vow was put into place. It wouldn't kill Herpo should he break the terms of the oath, but it would make him wish he was dead.

"Repeat after me. I, Herpo, new apprentice to Harry of Athens, herby swear to never teach magic I am taught to another person, entity, spirit, or thing without my master's express permission. I accept these terms of my own free will, and will freely accept the consequences should I attempt to break this oath."

His new apprentice repeated what he had said, and Harry withdrew his hand when the air around them seemed to thicken with a heavy pressure. It cleared away, and the heat that had infused his wand quickly dissipated along with it.

Harry looked through one of his windows and saw that it was still bright outside. If he moved quickly, he would be able to teach Herpo the basics of magical theory before the day was over. The new living conditions could wait for now.

It was strange how fast Harry adapted to this situation, how fast he imparted his secrets and art upon his new apprentice. Herpo was quite trustworthy, and was practically a magical prodigy. Although Harry never even allowed him to know of the existence of wands, the younger wizard could learn wandless spells with an almost alarming speed, and absorbed the basic information Harry gave to him like a sponge.

Harry didn't exactly know why Herpo was so gifted with wandless magic, but he supposed it was because he had never become dependent upon wands, as well as having a great degree of natural power. Either way, it was extremely satisfying to watch his pupil's progress. In a way, it reminded him of Dumbledore's Army. He had forgotten how much joy and satisfaction he had gained from teaching others, and resolved to find someone else to teach after he'd sent Herpo on his way.

At the moment, Harry was teaching the younger wizard how to heal himself. He had just finished giving Herpo his instructions, and was pleased when Herpo drew a short, bronze knife and produced a long cut down his arm. It was nice to see just how dedicated the boy was to learning.

"Now, Herpo," he began, "you have become adept at the manipulating the magic inside of you, which is the key to healing. The first step is to feel it flowing throughout your body, giving you the abilities that all wizards have."

Herpo shut his eyes tightly and grimaced as the deep well of power within himself was dominated by his will. It seemed to struggle – his teacher had told him that magic was difficult to constrain on the very first day of his education, something that had remained a constant throughout his training – but he simply reaffirmed his focus. The power was bound and ready to do his bidding.

"I have it," the apprentice said blankly, still focused on constraining his power.

"Good," Harry replied. "Now, focus on your injury. Visualize it."

"It's done."

"Now, guide your magic to the injury. Let it bind itself into it, infusing it with power."

Harry smiled when a glow of icy blue energy emerged from inside the wound, bathing the home in light. It slowly knit the flesh together again over the course of many minutes, leaving only a long, thin scar behind.

Herpo passed out from the strain, something that didn't surprise Harry. Training in wandless magic was far more exhausting than learning with a wand, as you had to produce all of the necessary energy yourself. When you used a wand, the magical effects of the core and wood amplified the power exponentially, and reduced the amount of energy needed.

Once you used a wandless spell many times, it became as simple as a wave of the hand. It was fortunate that that was the case, or else none of the early mages that first learned how to bind magic would have survived very long.

While he waited for his apprentice to awaken, Harry busies himself with coming up with new material to teach him. There was a limit to what wandless magic could do, and individual spells were near impossible to teach.

He didn't want to teach Herpo anything that could be too harmful, but if he wanted to affirm his own knowledge of magic, and his skill in the wandless variation of it, then he would need to teach it. Teaching was the best way to master something, after all.

Harry outlined a few basic lessons on how to effectively fight with magic, and was uncharacteristically excited at what would happen when his apprentice had finally woken up. He occupied himself by using magic to do minor chores around the house. It was the small things that aided in the greatest control, or at least that was how it worked with Harry.

And – judging from the piles of clutter and the general mess the house was in – he would have quite a while to practice his control.

It was several hours later before Herpo awoke, and it was clear that his exhausted apprentice was unable to perform any magic for the time being. Harry was somewhat disappointed, but not surprised. For now, he simply explained the new regimen to his student.

The next morning, when Herpo had woken up, Harry conjured up a harmless orb of cerulean flames and hurled it at his apprentice with a flick of his wrist. Herpo was shocked at the sudden attack from his mentor, and the orb made contact with his chest. A bright explosion of light erupted from the orb, and Herpo was practically shaking from fear.

When he realized that he wasn't burning, Herpo slowly opened his eyes and saw Harry grinning at him. Anger built inside of him, and small arcs of electricity began to leap from his fingers as the other wizard's grin grew wider.

"It's time for your training to begin."

Harry was taking a stroll around Athens, admiring the scenery as he always had. It had been a while since he had been able to simply look at the small city, and he relished the freedom that came with it. He had finished teaching Herpo everything he needed to know just last week, and it was quite satisfying to be free of responsibility.

He greeted a few of the people as he walked by, although he didn't stay to talk. Even though he had lived in the city for nearly a year, he had never traded words with the villagers aside from greetings and short exchanges of polite conversation.

It didn't particularly bother him though, since he had been training Herpo for nearly two-thirds of that time, and he was frequently out on excursions hunting for his employer the rest of the time. Of course, the fact that most townspeople were either terrified or in awe of him – or both – was somewhat annoying. Some of the more persistent children were sometimes rewarded with some conjured toy that inevitably vanished within a few days, but overall very few approached him.

His brows furrowed as he walked along, lost in thought. He hadn't paid much attention to the citizens since he had begun to teach Herpo, but he had realized that over the past two months they had begun to distance themselves even more from him than usual. As he had said before, they were hardly great friends, but they had still spoken to him. Now they politely greeted him and then scurried away like terrified mice.

Harry shrugged. There was hardly anything he could do about it, and it was probably just a coincidence. Perhaps they had spied on him and Herpo training and were terrified of their magic. It was a possibility, considering that he had rarely bothered with placing defensive wards that would keep the normal folk away.

He simply put the issue into the back of his mind, although a gnawing suspicion was now seeded. It almost seemed like it was an obvious solution. But he repressed the annoying thoughts, thinking that it wasn't important. Besides, he was sure that Herpo was waiting for him at the home.

When he finally arrived, Harry could feel that something was wrong. There was an oppressive feeling in the air, and a bitter taste grew on the back of his tongue. He fought the urge to retch, recognizing the feeling of dark magic. Harry drew his wand and felt somewhat more comfortable as the steady hum of power ran through it.

Harry sneered in disgust as he walked into the shack, and the urge to throw up became larger as the weight of the dark magic grew stronger. He scanned his home carefully, but didn't see anything that would indicate dark magic. The inside of his home was clean, which meant that it was something outside. It made sense. Dark rituals – there was no way a mere spell could produce that kind of power – required more free space than what was available in his shack.

What bothered him most, he thought as he circled around the shack, was the fact that there was any dark magic in this time at all. From what he'd heard in the very few history books he'd read, Greece had been the first wellspring of magical knowledge and culture. But from what he'd seen, even the basics of magical theory that had been set for millennia had been set down yet. In fact, most wizards wouldn't be powerful enough to produce the results that would lead to the production of magical theory.

So the fact that anyone would have the knowledge required to invent a dark ritual or have the experience to complete it without killing themselves in the process was disturbing. The only people that could do it were he and Herpo. But Herpo wouldn't do that, would he? He had proved his desire to help others many times others, and he had proved to be as resistant to corruption as anyone Harry ever trusted had.

Harry put the troubling thoughts behind him and resolved to solve this mystery without jumping to conclusions. It was more important to eliminate this ritual and magic before it could corrupt anything. Nip it in the bud, as it were.

At first he wasn't able to find anything, even when he used a spell that would allow him to see through any illusions present. There was no way that anyone would be able to create an illusion that would fool the spell in this time period, and the same spell detected any leftover traces of magic. Considering the lack of control wandless magic gave the user, any remnants would be all over the place it had been used. That meant that it was just a hidden place.

He continued seeking out the areas with the highest concentration of dark magic, but also noticed smaller details that he had overlooked before. Eventually he began searching through the vegetation behind his home, and grinned in triumph as he discovered a narrow entrance into the cave. Feeling a constant stream of power diffusing into the air, he carefully climbed into the tunnel. As he crouched and moved through the hidden tunnel, he tried to come up with a legitimate reason for the concentration of magic in his home. It was farther away than magic generally travelled, and the most likely of his theories was that the magic was attracted to the magic that had been practiced there for more than a year.

Harry was torn from his thoughts as he saw a pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel. When he finally reached the end and scanned the small, open cavern he had walked into, his eyes narrowed dangerously and his hands clenched tightly enough for the fingernails to cut into flesh.

Throwing caution to the wind and ignoring every instinct that had been burned into him through the long years of fighting, Harry stepped into the cavern to confront his apprentice. Anger at being played kept small licks of fire constantly dancing on his wandless hand, and his eyes were glaring around at the room, noting the primitive set up of it, before focusing on Herpo's figure.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" an enraged Harry shouted.

Herpo didn't say anything at first, merely looking at his master with eyes colder than Harry had ever seen from him. After a tense moment he responded. "You can't teach me anything else. You said it yourself. I'm sure there are plenty of secrets that you have hidden from me, but I will discover those myself."

The flames continued to harmlessly play down Harry's hand, slowly growing more intense as his anger grew. "So you decide to play with magic that you know nothing about? Do you not feel how wrong it is, how it creeps under your skin and twists your mind?"

The traitorous apprentice laughed, a sound that reminded Harry far too much of Voldemort for his liking. "I don't know what you're talking about, _my dear master_! This isn't harmful for me at all. I can feel how right it is, however! Have you never felt the rapture that comes with this power? I expect that I can even defeat you with it."

Harry's hands clenched even tighter, and the flames continued to grow in intensity until even the wizard was feeling a light burning sensation. "Tell me then, you traitorous fool, how did you learn of this? It would have taken you much longer than a few months to create a ritual like this."

"I suppose you do deserve to know that much," Herpo sneered. "Let's just say that you aren't the only wizard running around this land. And he is a much better teacher than you were! This ritual is the first of many he will teach me, and we will one day conquer this land."

The master wasted no more time. It was those kinds of threat a psychopathic fool like Voldemort would make, and he wouldn't let a menace like Herpo run rampant around Greece. With a flick of his wrist the flames coalesced into a ball and launched towards Herpo in an almost ironic callback to their first combat training lesson.

Herpo scoffed at the attack, redirecting it with a wave of his hand. Unfortunately, the ball of fire exploded next to several of the earthen lamps filled with oil that lit up the room. Both combatants' eyes widened as the inferno sprung up. Harry turned in preparation to escape, pausing for a moment to erect a decently powered barrier, and rushed out.

He could not hear anything but the crackling of the flames as he clambered out of the tunnels, preparing to seal it up for good. The only good thing about this mess was that the traces of dark magic would be completely eliminated by the flames. It truly was a shame about Herpo, he had such promise.

But for now, Harry thoughts as he gazed at the hidden tunnel entrance, he needed to find this wizard and put him down. It was unfortunate that he'd never studied much ancient history; it might have given him some sort of clue to this stranger's identity. But it was no matter. No matter how evasive this wizard was, Harry would spend the remainder of his life tracking him down if necessary. The dark arts needed to be hidden for as long as possible in order to keep history going on track.

He was distracted by the seal he'd placed being completely obliterated by a powerful burst of magic. Harry's eyes widened as a lightly burned and enraged Herpo crawled out of it, pale yellow eyes practically glowing in anger.

Harry threw his hand up at the last moment, barely able to stop the burst of lightning that erupted from Herpo's outstretched hand. He didn't waste the power it would take to stop the attack, but instead redirected it. The second it seemed that Herpo was preparing another attack, Harry struck back. A huge flash of light erupted from his hand, blinding the injured wizard. He then sent several curses at the weakened apprentice.

Herpo screamed in agony, but seemed to shake it off after a moment. He appeared to realize that he was outclassed, because the wizard began to use diversionary tactics. Harry easily avoided the streams of fire and poison, although he was disturbed by some of the attacks. They were far more advanced than anything the other wizard should know.

Harry was finally hit by a burst of the nonlethal magical poison that was hidden behind a stream of flame. He staggered backwards and easily dispelled the poison, leaving only a few hints of pain and somewhat serious fatigue.

Herpo, unfortunately, took the chance to run. He randomly threw wide blasts of fire or hardened air at Harry as he fled, which hardly even slowed Harry down. The poison wasn't fully healed, however, and Harry was unable to keep up with his apprentice.

He continued to give chase, slowly healing himself all the while. When Herpo ran down to the city to escape his master, Harry cursed. The situation was complicated enough without innocent civilians in the way. He had no desire to hurt the people of Athens unless he was forced to.

His former apprentice obviously held no such limitation, judging by the blasts of flame that he sent at any flammable buildings. Any attempts to stop him were met by a spear of hardened air, which blasted any it touched to the ground.

Harry was glad he had never hinted to Herpo about wands. It gave him an edge in this battle and let him put out the fires without wasting too much precious energy. He needed everything he could for this chase.

It continued for another half hour, although both had been forced to slow down. Harry didn't have the physical endurance he was used to, thanks to that damned poison sapping his strength, and Herpo was still injured. The master was sure that the burns had been healed once it was somewhat safe to do so, although it would cost him quite a bit of energy. But Herpo was smart and knew the danger of burns. They could get infected quite easily, which would force the younger wizard to expend even more energy in order to heal them.

Harry couldn't go any more. He just didn't have the strength to continue this chase through the forest, and needed sustenance. Silently enraged at himself, he found a suitable clearing and sat down. The wizard silently summoned a small bit of preserved meat and bread from his home – an impressive feat considering the distance and his fatigued state – and replicated them several times. Before he began eating, Harry conjured several defensive wards that would keep anyone or anything from attacking him. He needed to rest without interruptions.

When he had finished, the exhausted wizard practically inhaled his food. He had run for much longer than usual, and his overuse of magic and that damn poison Herpo threw at him didn't help him much. Even if his magic slightly enhanced his body it couldn't handle that kind of abuse.

When he was finished, he found that he couldn't keep his eyes open. Just before blackness overcame him, the tired wizard resolved to put down this menace before Herpo could become a true threat.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is the longest chapter yet – it's practically doubling the word count. Sorry if the story seems a bit rushed, but I'm trying to avoid as many filler chapters as I can and get to the real story. Review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

It had been a month. An entire month of relentlessly tracking his traitorous apprentice, laying traps and avoiding Herpo's own attempts at retaliation. He was exhausted from the constant magic he was exerting and the long travels. Harry's previous hunting excursions had been a week at the very most, and he had been tired out by those.

Harry wasn't just physically and magically exhausted; he was tired of the entire situation. He was tired of putting his trust in those undeserving of it, he was tired of being manipulated, and he was tired of eating the same damn food every day.

But this chase would be at an end soon enough. Herpo was a prodigy, yes, and had learned magic that would make him many times more powerful than the greatest warrior or untrained wizard of this time, but he was inexperienced and knew little of the magic Harry had at his disposal. The greatest advantage, beyond Harry's great knowledge of magic, was the wand. It was completely unknown to Herpo and increased Harry's power greatly, as well as giving him more versatility.

Harry banished these thoughts as he prowled through the forest. Herpo had slipped up badly this time, and he would pay for it with his life. He had used far too much magic around here recently, probably in a rush to put some distance in between his hunter. The controlled use of magic was like a beacon in this time thanks to the lack of knowledge. Most of the time he could just feel the unrestrained magic of the griffins and other creatures or the ever-present hum of magical plants.

It was odd, though. Herpo was extremely intelligent, and such elementary mistakes should have been beyond him. As a result, Harry was being more cautious than usual. There was a very real possibility of this being a set-up.

He held his hand out as he saw a small clearing. It appeared to be the remnants of a campsite, a fairly recent one as well. The familiar weight of magic grew to noticeable levels as he circled around the clearing, trying to find any traps that Herpo might have placed. They wouldn't be magical in nature, since that would require far too much energy that could be used to escape Harry later, but would likely have been set by using magic to move the components much quicker than was otherwise possible.

Harry's suspicion was growing stronger. There was plenty of magic used at this site, but nothing to dissuade him from searching it. He conjured up several small slabs of stone that would hover around him and would move to intercept any possible attacks. They wouldn't last long against any powerful magic, but they would be far beyond Herpo's ability to breach so long as he hadn't received any training from his second master.

The wizard cautiously entered the clearing, slowly moving towards the empty campsite. When he realized that he was blindly entering a supposedly empty campsite that had belonged to someone that had been experimenting with the dark arts, Harry very nearly smacked himself. This was quite possibly the stupidest thing he had done in the last year, aside from mentoring Herpo anyways. Instead, he cast a _homenum revelio_.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the charm revealed he was the only one in the area. Although Harry was alone, he continued to utilize his defenses. There was still a possibility Herpo had found a way to circumvent detective magic or had left hidden traps for him.

Harry first hunted for any useful clues or resources Herpo might have inadvertently left. He wasn't surprised when nothing was found. The wizard didn't know what Herpo was playing at, what with the lack of consistency in this situation, but assumed it wouldn't be good for him. It was very odd that the younger wizard would be so careless in leaving clues for Harry but cleaned it perfectly in the physical sense. All that it told Harry was that Herpo was playing with him.

This was either an attempt to distract Harry to gain more time to escape forever, or an attempt to draw him in for an ambush. Harry was sure there were other scenarios, but none that Herpo would consider to be worth the time and effort. Just to be safe he strengthened the spell that kept his stone slabs in place and searched the woods around the clearing to try to find any indicator of the direction Herpo had gone.

Fortunately, Harry was able to find a clump of branches that had been pushed through. The wizard wasn't sure if it was Herpo or not, considering that magic hadn't been used and this was a somewhat travelled route between villages.

Nevertheless, it was the only lead he had. He carefully moved through the foliage, trying to cause as small a disturbance as possible. Harry grinned in triumph as he saw that the trail continued and promptly began to follow it. For a few minutes he simply had the slabs plow through the vegetation, but he eventually allowed the spell to fizzle out. They were somewhat draining to maintain and he needed every bit of power he could.

He followed the trail for nearly an hour, and was growing more and more suspicious about the whole thing. Herpo would never leave this much evidence behind; and the distinct lack of traps that unnerved Harry. His apprentice seemed to enjoy laying subtle traps in the places he had been, and there was no reason for him to break that habit now.

It all made Harry believe that he was walking straight into a trap. The wizard wasn't particularly bothered by running into the trap; he was looking forward to it. This stunt would have taken quite a bit of Herpo's time to put in place with or without magic, and it meant that his apprentice was ready for a final confrontation that would determine which of them would steer the magical future of Greece.

Harry would win, of course, and would have quite the satisfying time of crushing Herpo like the little bastard he was. He absentmindedly twirled his wand in his hand as he spotted a dim spot of green light in the distance. His eyes narrowed as he began to move towards the light. It was almost certainly a trap, but springing it was part of Harry's plan.

So he took the bait. He stealthily made his way to the light. A tingle of excitement went up his spine as he felt the familiar presence of controlled magic growing stronger and stronger. When he was just a few dozen feet away, he cast the _homenum revelio _charm once more. Harry was somewhat confused when the spell reported that there were four presences in the clearing.

Nevertheless, he continued. He circled around to get a good angle, and was surprised when he recognized one of them as one of the scowling hunters he had seen on his first day in Athens. The man was draped in loose clothes common to many of the Greek peoples he had met and carried a large bow and a knife. He seemed to be giving orders to the other two hunters, while a dark figure leaned on a tree in the back.

The figure had a similar build to Herpo and was the only one that Harry couldn't identify; leading the older wizard to assume that it was his apprentice. He curled his lip up in a sneer, but took aim at the leader of the hunters first. Herpo would block any attempt to attack him from this distance, and he wanted this fight to be free of interference.

Harry thrust his wand towards the hunters, who were standing closely together, and whispered a word. A pale grey streak of light, nearly invisible in the darkness, launched moved towards them at a high speed. One of them saw it, leaving Harry impressed at their perceptiveness, but had no time to jump away before it impacted.

The wizard smirked as the light exploded, tearing the hunters apart and kicking up a huge cloud of dust. He summoned his slabs of stone and scanned the area for Herpo. The younger wizard had been in an easily escapable position and the dust had hidden Harry's view. He cast the revealing charm once more, and calmed down when he realized that Herpo was still in the clearing.

As he moved closer, he felt the sickening power of dark magic wash over him. It felt so disgustingly _wrong_ in this world that he could feel the burgeoning feeling of nausea oozing through his stomach. That kind of magic should never have existed; the world hadn't even built any sort of resistance to its corrupting influence yet and it showed. In his time, dark magic hardly corrupted anything unless they were extensive users like Voldemort or Bellatrix. And even then it took a long time to even twist their minds.

But here? Here he could almost feel it seeping into the world around him, rapidly morphing into something unnatural. He resolved to incinerate this place later. Harry couldn't stop the eventual spread of dark magic, but he could postpone it.

Harry's thoughts were cut off by a stream of flame. He swiftly turned and began to pull a shield up, but a slab neatly intercepted the fire.

His eyes narrowed as he saw Herpo leaning nonchalantly against a tree. His former apprentice seemed calm, but Harry knew that he was terrified. The younger wizard knew that he was outclassed and that he wouldn't have the benefit of surprise this time.

His fist clenched as Herpo began to speak, the cold, mocking tone so alien to the man he had been fooled into seeing.

"So you killed my backup, hmm? Unfortunate. They cost me quite a bit of time and money." Here Herpo smiled at him, belying his true nature with his affable manner. "I'm sure you know which was more valuable to me, my dear master."

"Enough," Harry snarled, "I have tracked you for an entire month for this single moment, and you won't escape it with your words."

"A shame," Herpo muttered. "Now I suppose I won't be able to convince you otherwise? Money won't sway you, nor promises of power."

Harry cut his muttering off with a fireball, which Herpo neatly batted away. He spoke again, a low undercurrent of disgust in his tone.

"I thought you would have learned new tricks by now, my master. You've had a month to dream of this moment. But I suppose it's my turn now."

A cloud of toxic gas erupted from Herpo's suddenly outstretched hand, but a breeze summoned by Harry dissipated it. Herpo didn't let the setback get to him, and he immediately moved into action.

Several bolts of lightning were intercepted by the stones, leaving nothing but a small scorch mark. Harry stopped the pathetic game Herpo was trying to play with him, summoning a burst of ghostly blue fire. It sprang towards the shocked apprentice, who was forced to jump out of the way.

The flame twisted towards Herpo, who tried to extinguish it by hurling water at it. Harry chuckled as the apprentice's face twisted in horror as his defense did nothing. He flicked his wrist as Herpo tried to dodge again, sending a bolt of force into the teen's side.

Herpo gasped as he was slammed into the ground, trying to regain the oxygen that had been knocked out of him. He had no time to do so as the translucent blue flames finally caught him, searing into his flesh.

Harry smiled as he heard the screams of Herpo. He hadn't heard something so satisfying in a very, very, long time. But he didn't have time to waste as he as he crossed the ravaged clearing, preparing to end the very short duel.

The flames were still ravaging Herpo's body when he got there, and Harry felt slightly disgusted as he saw the blackened flesh where it had touched. Herpo was flailing in agony, his pale yellow eyes wide in desperation and fear.

As Harry raised his hand, preparing to end it, he felt a surge of magical power flow through the clearing. He felt a tiny glimmer of fear within him as Herpo screamed again, his cries of pain and sorrow infused with magic.

It was less than a second before the power of it hit Harry. His eyes widened and he tried to get the last fatal attack in, only to be cut off by a wave of force. The wizard was hurled back, and if it weren't for the resilience his magic gave him he would have died from a multitude of broken bones. As it was he would only be bruised, and he wearily tried to stand.

After several failed attempts due to his befuddled state, Harry managed it. Thanks to the sticking charm he had placed on his wand it hadn't fallen from his grasp, and another charm made it unbreakable. It was quite fortunate that it hadn't punctured him, and he resolved to solve that problem when Herpo had been finished.

He didn't have his breath back yet, but he managed to start walking over to Herpo easily despite the slight pain. When he finally looked at his target, his eyes widened and a trail of ice raced down his spine.

Herpo was standing, confused but unharmed. He was trembling in exhaustion and fear, but the gruesome burns left by the ghostly flames had vanished. The younger wizard was in too much awe to attack Harry, although he doubted whether Herpo would have the energy left to do so anyways.

Harry leveled his wand at the awed apprentice, and the curse of death was on his lips when Herpo looked straight at him, the pale yellow eyes narrowed in anger. The pure rage reflected in those eyes stopped him, although he was prepared to let it loose at a moment's notice.

"You!" Herpo screamed, so different from his usual cool demeanor. "You tried to kill me! You burned my flesh, defiled my body and my magic, and you will die for it."

Herpo attacked like a madman, the previous exhaustion seemingly fading as he released attack after attack against his former master. They were simple and easily blocked, but Harry was anxious at how Herpo had managed to survive the flames. It was unnatural, and he suspected that it was some outside force. Perhaps it was the master that Herpo had boasted to him about.

It couldn't have been Herpo. Herpo was powerful, and would be able to accomplish a feat such as that one day, but not when he was inexperienced, wounded, and beaten. He didn't like the situation, but it wasn't too great of a set back as long as Herpo didn't come back like that every time he was defeated.

With a flick of his wand, Harry finally put an end to Herpo's barrage of magic. All of the aftereffects from his attacks were swept aside in an instant, slowly fading into the air around them. Another flick summoned his slabs, which had been broken off by the sheer force of Herpo's magical scream.

They arrayed in a formation similar to a wall in front of Harry, and rushed forward to quell Herpo's magical attacks before they could get anywhere near Harry. The stones' master steadily moved forward, slightly annoyed by the force he was having to employ to keep Herpo harmless.

When he finally made it close enough, the stones slammed into Herpo and forced him back. Harry moved in for the kill, but the apprentice had other ideas. A thick haze of pungent smoke flew from his hand, shattering Harry's concentration.

He coughed and sent a flurry of lethal curses towards Herpo's direction, even as he attempted to get rid of the oily smoke. It took him nearly a minute, thanks to the dark magic imbued in it, and it seemed to follow him whenever he attempted to escape.

When it was finally gone, Harry searched the area for Herpo's corpse. He found nothing but destroyed trees. There was no trail, but Harry resolved to find him.

When he returned to the clearing, he smoothed the ravaged earth over the corpses of the hunters and then released a tongue of flame from his wand. Dark magic wouldn't be infecting this area for a long time yet.

When the purifying flames had incinerated any traces of life and magic, Harry continued on his hunt. He followed any clue he could find for a week or so, silently berating himself for his failure and cursing whatever was capable of giving Herpo that kind of power.

Eventually, when he was about to give up for the time and recuperate, he found a primitive road. It was little more than a slightly less overgrown path that was well-traveled enough to keep vegetation from growing over it, but it still decreased the amount of time required for travel.

An unfortunate aspect of it was that there were bandits laying in ambush every now and then, preying upon the undefended traders and travelers that used them. When they attempted to ambush him – likely just bored, since Harry wasn't carrying any obvious valuables on him – they were the unlucky ones for the change. Harry was sure that anyone passing by would be rather confused when they saw the strange chunks of meat littering the road.

He travelled on it for awhile, trying to get back to Athens. Although he might not be welcome there anymore if they decided to bear a grudge there were a number of items he needed to recover from his old home. His money was the most important material resource he had beside his wand, and he had lightly enchanted several items.

Unfortunately, he thought as he walked down the road, it seemed that there would be another interruption in his travels. He could hear shrill screams from somewhere further along the road, along with jeers and laughter. It seemed that someone else had drawn the bandits out for him.

He slightly sped his pace, although he wasn't hurrying. From the intensity of the screams they couldn't be too far away, and a few seconds likely wouldn't help the people. Besides, he didn't have a stake in their survival.

After about a minute of briskly moving along the trail he found them. Several bandits were standing around, holding their poorly-made knives and axes carefully. One of them had been killed in the small struggle, but all three of the defenders had been mercilessly slain. Small slices and hack wounds littered the bodies of the two men, while the lone woman's throat was cut ear to ear.

Harry's nose wrinkled in disgust, and he promptly hurled two balls of swirling flame at the bandits. He wasted no time in striking down the last bandit he could see, idly forcing his hand outward and watching as the bandit exploded from the force the erupted from inside the frail body.

He walked over to the small wagon that the travelers had died to defend. There were a few bags of food and clothing, some of which was small enough to be worn by a toddler. Most of the space was taken up by a seemingly random assortment of goods; a few uncut, rugged looking precious stones, jewelry made up of some sort of stone or shell, and a few small hides.

His examination was halted, however, by a childish wail. Harry's head snapped up and instantly zeroed in on where he thought the cry was. Although he had been somewhat desensitized by the sometimes brutal life in Greece, he couldn't in good conscience leave a child in danger.

The wizard moved over to the clump of bushes quickly, brushing it aside with a wave of his hand. When it had given him enough space Harry continued onwards, making sure to avoid the branches that were seemingly everywhere. Another wail alerted him to the presence once more, and it was easy enough to make his way there.

He heard the wail again and silently pleaded for it to stop. It was extremely annoying and his ears felt like they were about to explode.

A few moments later found him at the child's location, although the softly sobbing toddler wasn't the thing that had attracted his attention. It was the softly smoking corpse that drew it. The sizzling body had clearly been burned, likely by magic, and the blackened face was contorted in an eternal scream of agony.

When his shock wore off, he waved his hand to make the smell vanish. He then turned his attention onto the child. Harry hadn't been sure of the child's gender at first, since he had been more concerned with the dead body just a few feet away from it, but now he could see that it was a small girl. If he had to hazard a guess he would say that she was less than two years old. Then again, he knew absolutely nothing about children, never having been around any himself. She had black hair and the olive skin that was so common to this area of Greece, and was otherwise unremarkable.

Well aside from her apparent power, anyways. Harry couldn't think of anyone else in the area that had the slightest trace of magic in them, and this girl was practically reeking of uncontrolled magic. He assumed that her terror had forced her magic out, which was quite powerful to be able to practically incinerate a man.

Harry was drawn out of his thoughts when he saw the child's mouth starting to open to bawl. He reacted quickly to stall the hated sound, quickly aiming his wand and casting the silencing charm. To avoid any more of the incidents he levitated the child into his arms, absentmindedly noticing that she was much heavier than she looked.

When he noticed that the toddler had calmed down somewhat and was now looking at the corpse, Harry cursed and transfigured it into a bone. He was aware of the similarities between what he had just done and the way Barty Crouch Jr. had done to his father, but let it slide. It was easier to transfigure things into something similar to them, and it was more convenient to imitate the Death Eater in this case. Not that it even mattered, of course.

When he was certain that he wasn't going to be victim to a bout of sobbing, he put the toddler back on the ground. Harry levitated her, deciding that it would be faster to do so than carry her, and made his way back to the caravan. He was sure that he had killed all of the bandits, so there wasn't any danger there. Besides, if any survivors still tried to kill him after they saw what he had done to their friends they deserved to die simply for the astounding amount of stupidity they possessed.

He set the girl down a few feet away from the trail, not wanting her to see her parents' mutilated bodies. A few waves of his wand and muttered incantations ensured that nothing would be able to get at her while he was away.

Harry walked through the tangles of roots that separated him from the path carefully, not wanting to accidently sprain his ankle from sheer idiocy on his part. He noticed that the sun was setting once he got to the relatively clear trail, and realized that he needed to hurry. The night held no fear for him, but the girl was a liability he had never had to deal with before. She couldn't deal with the exposure like he could, and he would have to take that into account until he came up with an idea for her future.

Those thoughts were pushed away as he neared the broken wagon. He carefully examined the bodies in the vain hope that one of them had miraculously survived their grievous wounds. It was a vain hope, however, and he had known it immediately after he saw the ragged cut on the woman's throat. It was so deep that she was nearly decapitated, and Harry was somewhat impressed with the strength it would have taken to make that cut.

He moved away from the woman when he had confirmed that she had no other injuries and had not been "used" before she died. It only took a simple charm, something that Harry was thankful for. The men, however, were another story. They had clearly put up a valiant defense, even with their evident lack of skill.

There were two poor quality knives lying next to the two slain men, each covered in blood. Harry was sure that if he bothered to check the bodies of the bandits his examination would reveal numerous cuts on each. It was unfortunate that they had only managed to kill one before being overwhelmed, but not unexpected.

Their wounds paid testament to their valor. Each was covered in brutal injuries, both had been stabbed in the torso several times, probably post-mortem since there wasn't any blood, and one of the larger man's arms had nearly been severed. Those were only the worst of the injuries, and there were plenty more that he could see even without the charm.

Since they would be of no use to him, he left them be for now. Instead, he began to look for anything he could use inside of the wagon. He took the bag of clothing and the hides, shrinking them and placing them into his own bag of food. Normally he simply left it in one place and summoned it every few miles or so, but he was glad that he had kept it on him since he had failed to kill Herpo.

Harry growled a bit at the memory of his failure but took his mind off it. That didn't matter anymore, what mattered was that he recuperate so he could resume the hunt again one day.

And what mattered even more than that at the moment was finding a way to keep the girl safe. He had attempted to find some sort of identification for the family, but they were just the average, illiterate group of travelling traders. The only remarkable thing about them was the girl. She had power, power great enough to practically incinerate the man when she was a mere toddler.

He began to entertain thoughts of raising her himself if he couldn't find a family, but was quick to quash that idea. Harry Potter was no parent, and he was hardly fit to be around children to begin with. Since he had awoken in Greece, he had lived a life of danger. Whether it was slaying dangerous beasts that were capable of wiping out a village in a fit of anger or hunting down a magical prodigy that had turned to dark magic, he had been surrounded by a constant threat of death. It was no environment for a child.

The only option would be to give her to someone he could watch over and protect from threats. Perhaps when she was old enough he would train her, but he wasn't particularly confident in his teaching abilities at the moment. He had trained Herpo well, but he wasn't sure if that was due to his former apprentice's inherent skill and power or his own skill.

But he couldn't worry about the child's future right now. He had to get to Athens.

Harry levitated the child out of the protective circle he had placed around her and picked her up. If he was lucky her mind might have developed enough to where she could speak.

"So, child," Harry exclaimed in faux excitement, "do you know how to talk yet?"

He could that the child liked his tone, as she had clapped her hands excitedly, but he doubted that she understood his words. The child smiled at him as she stared at him, but didn't answer. It was a shame he didn't know legilimency, it would have made it easy enough to glean any information the girl could give him.

Even though he knew she probably couldn't talk, or was too afraid too, he decided to ask another question. "Could you tell me your name?"

He was actually surprised when she responded. It wasn't as if he knew anything about when children started comprehending the world around them, or anything about children really, but he hadn't expected her to respond to him to begin with.

"Thera!" She said excitedly. Harry smiled back at her, and then looked around. It was dark, but he wanted to get as far away from here as he could. Athens was only a week or so away if he had his location right, and he could possibly be there even sooner if he cut over one of the slightly dangerous mountains. He was confident that no harm would come to either he or the child, since magic would be more than enough to protect them from danger. Only the average traveler had difficulty, mostly due to the powerful magic that engulfed some of the mountains in Greece.

"Well, Thera, let's go. This place isn't safe."

After three days of travelling with the girl, he was finally at the edge of the mountain that would place them a mere day away from Athens. He had never traversed it before, but had met many a traveler that had. They had told him of the unnatural creatures that dwelled there, the laughs and whispers that surrounded them in the night, and of the strange vanishings of the unprepared travelers that ventured into it recklessly.

Harry had no doubts that the beings would not attack him, and felt that Thera would be perfectly safe. She wasn't completely stupid, a fact that pleased him, and was too attached to him after the death of her family to let him go for very long. It made him worry somewhat about what would happen when he had to give her to someone else, but he would solve that problem when it happened.

She was sleeping at the moment, and he took advantage of that to begin up a worn path. The girl wouldn't understand that he was taking her into a potentially dangerous place to begin with, so he decided to simply throw a silencing charm on her and start anyways. Harry mostly ignored the light weight of wild power that descended upon him as he entered, but kept a small niggling feeling of paranoia about it. It was clear that there was strong natural magic in this place.

The path was surprisingly well-worn and well tended to. It was still completely terrible compared to anything modern, of course, but was superior even to the popular route that Harry had just left. Brambles were common, unfortunately, but a wave of his hand caused them to burst into ash.

Harry was glad that it was still bright when he had entered. The woods around the path seemed to block out all light despite not having a thick canopy, and he could feel the gazes of many beings. Despite the fact that he felt a constant strike of nervousness and the hair on the back of his neck was standing up, Harry ignored whatever was watching him and continued. If it wanted to challenge him it would have done so already.

He doubted anything was leading him into an ambush, since centaurs weren't underhanded enough to do that and he couldn't think of any other magical races with both the intelligence and cunning to pull it off. The only other sentient magical race in Greece that he could think of was the manticores, and they were far too savage and bestial to lay an ambush. Being extremely powerful magical creatures, they were far more predisposed to tearing their prey apart face to face.

Harry still held his wand tightly as he strode purposefully through the trail, although he was starting to pant slightly from the exertion of climbing the mountain's slope. It wasn't extremely steep, but it was slowly growing more and more difficult.

The wizard was quite glad that this wasn't a very large mountain, as he hated climbing. Most of this was just a very large hill really, and as long as he stayed on the long, winding trail he wouldn't get into any tricky areas.

When he finally grew tired enough to stop his trek, he searched for anywhere decent. It didn't take long to find an area that would be easily defendable should he be attacked. The view didn't hurt either, and even Harry could appreciate the surprisingly clear pool of water that was next to the shelter he had found. His newest shelter had been an admittedly lucky find, and was a small cave that sat inside of a small cliff.

He spent a few moments making sure that it wasn't something's home before he went into it, but when he was sure that it was safe for him and Thera he stepped in. Harry moved in a few feet until it felt wide enough for him to be able to put his bag down and still have enough room for him and the girl. Once he was sure they had enough room he set to work in transfiguring rocks into decently comfortable pads. It was a shame that he had never polished his transfiguration skills that much; it was extremely useful in this time.

Harry had had to briefly wake up the child so that she wouldn't be terrified in the morning, but she was so exhausted that she fell asleep again in mere moments. The wizard, on the other hand, could not. He was tired, yes, but there was something about this mountain that was revitalizing him and keeping him from his slumber.

After an hour of tossing and turning on his mat, Harry finally stood up and left the cave, although he ensured that several simple wards protected Thera before he did so. When he walked out, trying to find something to do until he finally felt tired, he realized just how quiet the world had gotten.

He hadn't heard silence like this since he had first come to Greece. There was always some sort of noise, be it insects, birds, or people. It put him on edge.

Still, it was no reason to run back inside the cave and hide. There was no doubt something powerful on this mountain – just like every other place in Greece, it seemed like – but it would not cow him. For now he would simply enjoy the sight of the silvery moonlight reflecting off of the clear waters of the spring.

Harry found a suitable looking rock and sat down, looking around the area for any observers. He saw none and stared into the waters, trying to just clear his mind of all thoughts for a moment. And he did it. For awhile he forgot everything that had been burdening him for the last year. He forgot the twisting sneer of Herpo, the countless magical beasts he had put down, and the hidden loneliness that had been biting at him.

And then it ended, just like all of his peace did. After what seemed like an eternity of peace, he could feel magic welling up from inside of the spring. The magic was powerful and felt like nothing else he had ever seen.

Harry's reflexes kicked in almost immediately. His eyes snapped open even as he grasped the wand hidden in a pocket. The charms that keep him from dropping it kick in immediately, and he has it in a hidden position, ready to strike down whatever threat drew near him.

Then he saw what had alerted him. It wasn't a manticore or griffin, not even some other wizard. Instead, it was a woman so beautiful that she seemed unnatural.

He was well aware that his jaw had dropped, but couldn't help himself. The woman was practically a veela, what with her silvery hair and beautiful features.

Harry was snapped out of it when she chuckled at him. "So, little man, do you have an offering for me?"

His brows raised in confusion. What the bloody hell was the woman talking about? He voiced this to the woman, more politely of course. Harry knew enough to not attempt to anger magical beings when he had no idea what they were. There were plenty of things in the world that could utterly demolish him in a fight, and he wanted to play it safe with this being until he knew she wasn't one of those magical powerhouses.

"Sorry, miss," he said humbly, "but I am afraid that I don't know of this offering. Would you explain?"

She laughed, a sound that, though beautiful, made Harry feel a shiver of fear. Whatever this was, she was much more powerful than most magical beings Harry had seen in Greece. The unconstrained power within her was free to act upon the world, and was released with every small motion or noise she made.

"Silly child," she crooned, "offerings can be anything. Food, jewelry, blood," Her eyes looked amused for a moment as she continued. "Even children are acceptable."

Thoughts of the little girl sleeping in the cave came to the forefront of his mind for a moment and he grimaced, although he wiped it off of his face quickly. "Children?" He asked weakly.

"Yes," the woman smiled, showing off perfectly white teeth. Harry noticed that they appeared much sharper than they should be. "Children can be the most wonderful gifts of all, can they not?"

"I suppose," Harry muttered. He tensed as the woman moved closer, and he could barely stop himself from lashing out as she placed a delicate hand on his chest. The area she touched was instantly damp, as though she just finished swimming.

Harry's mind raced, making connections and guesses upon what sort of creature the woman was. He assumed that she was some sort of nymph, although most species of them had gone extinct several centuries before he had even been born, and those that had survived the slow destruction of the environment they were intimately bound to devolved into weak, stupid creatures little better than house elves.

But he had heard the tales of the nymphs when they were in their prime, about their cunning and inhuman nature. They and the other natural spirits were the basic of the muggle concepts of the fey. Not the sweet, playful fairies that had become popular in his lifetime, but the cruel, alien creatures that would gleefully torture you to death as soon as they would lend a helping hand.

Still, Harry wasn't sure if his suspicions were correct. To ensure that they were, the wizard decided to ask his own questions.

"I apologize for my ignorance, miss, but who are you? This is an unfamiliar land to me, and I am still attempting to learn about my new home."

The woman laughed again, once more striking fear and awe into Harry. He silently berated himself for her effect on him. People and beings more powerful than her had been unable to influence his mind, and he wasn't about to let her do the same.

"Such a respectful child," she smiled. "I am Melite, the spirit of this spring and master of this mountain. And who, pray, are you?"

"My name is Harry," the wizard said humbly, taking care to not sound anything but subservient, "and what may I offer you?"

He silently prayed that it wouldn't be something that he wasn't willing to give. According to the old stories that Ron had been enthralled with for awhile – Merlin knew why he was so interested in nymphs when there was no hope of meeting one – they were extraordinarily powerful when near their tree or river, whatever it was they were the spirit of. And getting into a fight with something powerful in an area where they had the upper hand wasn't on his to-do list. Harry much preferred fighting with the odds stacked in his favor.

Her smile stayed the same, still tantalizingly perfect, but Melite's eyes took on just the slightest hint of a predatory gleam. Harry slightly regretted asking, knowing that she would purposefully request something he would not give.

"I do not request much, nothing but a triviality, really." Melite's voice was quite soft and entrancing, but Harry shook off the magic imbued in every word. He knew he wouldn't like this deal. "When you arrived here, I felt a child. A pure, powerful child."

Harry's eyes widened in anger and surprise, and he immediately made to refuse. He found that he couldn't open his mouth. His hand clenched tightly around his wand, but he made no move to attack. Perhaps the deal could still be salvaged.

Her hand pressed harder against his chest, exuding a cool power that made him shiver. His tunic was completely soaked where she had touched him, and he privately felt a twinge of annoyance. Even as the power flowed through him, slowly crawling its way through his body, she spoke.

"Do not act so hastily, child," the nymph said seductively, looking up at him through silvery eyelashes. "The little girl would have a much better life with me, I could keep her safe. I could teach her how to use the power I can feel. And if that's not enough," she whispered, "I'm sure I could find another, more _interesting_ way to repay you."

The wizard gulped, suddenly finding his mouth very dry. For just a moment he could see her full beauty, her silver eyes seemed to shine brightly, her face grew more beautiful and he was very aware of the very thin, delicate barrier of cloth between them.

Then he wrested control of his mind back, fighting off the nymph's ability that reminded him so much of the veela allure. "I apologize, Lady Melite, but I cannot offer you the child. She is my charge, and I am honor bound to return her to a city."

The hand that still rested gently on his chest seemed to grow cold, and his chest seemed to frost over. He looked into her eyes and saw that they were narrowed in annoyance.

Fortunately, she seemed to regain control of herself before Harry was forced to take action. The frosty feeling that had begun to spread over his torso receded into her hand, and Melite removed her hand from his chest.

Without the physical contact, the alien power that had burrowed its way inside of him left, clearing his mind and allowing him to focus. He still didn't move a muscle, too wary of the nymph to try anything. Perhaps if he had any experience at all with nymphs and other creatures that resembled them he would be more bold, but he had learned that caution was more important when it came to the unknown. Harry still had no knowledge of the true extent of her power. For all he knew she could be wasting it all on this appearance, attempting to enthrall and terrify him with the obvious show of power. Or she could be exerting a mere fraction, silently waiting for him to make a move.

Harry was drawn out of his musings by her musical voice, which revealed no sign of displeasure. "Very well, child." Melite frowned slightly, marring her pale face, but a soft smile returned as she seemed to come up with a plan. "But I require an offering. It is tradition, and traditions are not to be broken."

"I understand," the wizard said cautiously. "What would you like?"

The smile grew even larger, exposing the white, sharp teeth once more. "A worthy offering would be a few drops of your blood." She saw the look on his face and misinterpreted it as fear of being harmed.

"Do not worry, child," the nymph said soothingly, brushing his cheek with the back of her hand, "I can heal the wound in an instant."

It wasn't the pain that Harry feared; it was what the nymph would do with the blood. She wouldn't request anything that she had no use for, and blood could be used for a myriad of magical purposes. He could be tracked with it, it could bind him if he ever gave an oath, it could control him if he was somewhat willing.

But as potentially dangerous as giving her the blood was, antagonizing her was so much worse. Melite had claimed to be the master of the mountain, and if she turned the beings and creatures of the mountains against him…Well, she would definitely get the girl. Most likely by prying her from his cold, dead hands.

So he accepted. "Lady Melite," he said, lowering his head in acceptance, "I offer you ten drops of my blood."

Melite grinned widely in triumph, the sharp teeth seemingly possessing a new glint to them. She grabbed his arm softly with a delicate hand, gently exposing the wrist even as she revealed a strength that should not be possessed by such a small woman.

Harry winced as she withdrew a small shard of what looked like glass and pricked his wrist with it. A tiny amount of blood was gently drawn from the small puncture and drained into the palm of her hand. He watched in interest as the blood seemed to hover right above the palm before freezing. The nymph clenched her fist, and when she opened it the frozen droplets of blood had vanished.

"I thank you for the offering," Melite murmured. "Do not worry of the path throughout the mountain, it shall be kind to you."

She moved even closer to him, until she was practically touching him. Harry tried not to react, although he was extremely uncomfortable with this violation of his personal space. He almost drew upon his magic when she cupped his cheek, trying to drive away the invading tendrils of power that followed her touch.

"You have a long journey ahead of you, Harry. But when fate conspires against you, dear child, remember that you have a protector." She didn't give him time to ponder the cryptic words before giving him a light kiss on the cheek. Harry couldn't help the slight flinch, and had a feeling that it amused her to make him uncomfortable.

"Now go, child. The girl will be awaking soon, and you should hurry along. My power and the power of this mountain will aid you on your way and banish any fatigue from your body."

The wizard nodded dumbly, watching as the nymph seemed to dissolve into silvery droplets of water. They hovered in the air for a moment before floating back to the silvery spring and sprinkling back into it.

Harry stood still for a moment, silently reflecting upon the encounter. He didn't like the deal he had made and the degree of power over him that he had given to the nymph, but he supposed that he was fortunate that Melite seemed to like him well enough.

Still, he decided as he returned to the cave, he felt that he would be caught up in her plans sometime or another, and that's when he would truly be sorry.

But for now, his only goal was to get Thera to safety and then hunt down his bastard apprentice. Perhaps he could enjoy this new life when Herpo's remains had been incinerated and scattered by the winds, but until then he needed to focus.

Just as Melite had said, Thera had awoken by the time he had returned. The girl was sitting up and looking at him with inquisitive eyes.

He gave a smile that belied his true feelings of apprehension and packed up their meager belongings. When everything was ready he picked up the girl. Harry normally levitated her everywhere since she seemed to enjoy the feeling, but he didn't want to expose any more hints about his magic to Melite. It was unlikely that she was unaware of his power, true, but he didn't want her to have any more information than absolutely necessary.

With a sigh, he walked out of the cave with Thera in his arms. He gave a slight nod to the shining spring before he arrived on the path. The light weight he had had ever since he had embarked upon the trail seemed to project a feeling of light amusement into his mind, confirming the suspicions that it was either Melite's presence or that of the mountain itself.

The weight was much lighter than before, and seemed to reinvigorate him the moment that he felt any hint of tiredness. This asset sped his journey greatly, and he silently thanked Melite even as he stepped out of the mountain's boundaries and into the sun.

He prepared for the short journey back home, where he could hopefully find Thera a home and finally rest. And when he was ready, he would be on the hunt for Herpo again. This time, the traitorous bastard would die.

Harry stood in the market of Athens, marveling at how the damage from his first duel with Herpo seemed like it had never happened. His smile seemed to please the girl, since she smiled at him too. She said a few words, but he was too caught up in the excitement of finally being home to pay attention.

But there was one thing that bothered him. The people of Athens certainly didn't seem to hate him, but they shunned him. They obviously held some kind of fear for him after seeing his capabilities, and he doubted any would take Thera. And even then, what would they do when she performed accidental magic? With the power he could feel coming from her it would be impossible for her not to have a vast amount of incidents, and he didn't want any harm to come to her out of fear and ignorance.

Perhaps he was just making justifications for him to take her and raise Thera himself, in some attempt to make up for his misjudgment of Herpo, but he decided that giving her to another family wouldn't work out.

"Well, Thera," he said happily to the happy child, "It looks like you'll be living with me."

And hopefully he wouldn't screw it up this time.


	5. Chapter 5: A Cosmic Twist

A/N: Thanks for all the alerts and favoriting. Biggest response yet. But remember to review. Even if I'm not one of the whiners that say "10 reviews or I don't rite anymorez. Lolz!", feedback is good. Hope you enjoy the story. By the way, this is the last major time skip for awhile.

Disclaimer: I'm not putting any more up. Everyone should know that I don't own Harry Potter by now.

Harry couldn't believe how long it had been. He had awoken in Ancient Greece fourteen years ago, and had unexpectedly found himself raising a child a year and a half after he had arrived. Thera had indeed turned out to be an extraordinarily powerful witch, and he suspected that she was more than capable of bypassing the level Dumbledore had reached before his death.

She was certainly a more attentive pupil than he had been during his own education, and she, much like Herpo, took to magic instantly. Harry suspected that she would be more than able to hold her own against his former apprentice should she be threatened, and when she gained experience she would be able to overpower him should he ever lose his wand.

But Thera wasn't his main priority at the moment, even if she was normally. The teenager had been left at home, as he was needed to put down an unusually aggressive sea serpent that had been terrorizing a small village a week away from Athens. He had just arrived and was currently marveling at the destruction the rampaging creature had caused.

It was odd that the gigantic, horse-faced creatures would be aggressive at all. Normally the only damage they caused was unintentional, such as the accidental destruction of a fishing boat. They were incredibly strong and their vast forms spanned more than a hundred feet from head to tail. The sea serpents had a thick body, and the smallest of the ones that he had seen were nearly as thick as the basilisk he had slain back in second year.

As Harry looked around, he wondered just how large this one was. It appeared that a small tidal wave had swept away the portions of the village closest to the forebodingly churning sea, and the wreckage and debris was scattered across the land. There were a few pale, bloated corpses strewn around the battered village. Harry idly wondered how they had been recovered from the sea so quickly, but decided that there were more important matters to attend to.

He frowned as one of the villagers ran up to him, frantically rambling about the beast and wildly waving his arms about. The wizard discreetly cast a calming charm on him, and was rather pleased when the man finally began to make sense.

"It surfaced right in front of my brother's boat, sir! He said that it charged into it and completely destroyed the boat, and even ate one of our men. The rest managed to drift back here, but it followed them and started flailing and making gigantic waves!"

Harry nodded, it seemed as though his suspicions were correct. "Could you tell me how large it was? It might help me make a plan for it."

The man nodded before he continued. "None of us ever saw the whole thing, since it only kept a bit of its body out of the sea at one time, but we could see some more of its body winding out of the water when it was leaving. I'd have to say that it was at least as long as about five of our fishing boats, and wider than two."

The wizard winced. If the villager had the measurements right, then this sea serpent was of a monstrous size even for its species. It was good that there were a good number of spells that would attract the sea serpent from distances more than twenty miles away. They had vast territories, but they usually stayed close to the shore. And that would serve to his advantage this time, since it would be eager to find out what was encroaching upon its territory. Of course it could want to find him and tear him apart, considering how aggressive it seemed to be.

But he didn't want the villagers to see anything they shouldn't. Only a few had ever seen him work magic, and most of those were now dead. If there was one thing Harry really didn't want, it was to be worshipped. He'd gotten enough of that for a few years after Voldemort had finally been killed.

"All right, I want you to gather up all the villagers and get them a mile or so away." Harry ordered. "This fight will be dangerous, and I don't want any more people getting hurt."

"I understand. We'll be gone in just a few minutes." The man said. He immediately ran off to gather the survivors of the village. They seemed to be experienced at this sort of thing, as they each gathered a small amount of food or other necessities and were off just as soon as the villager had said.

When he was confident they were far enough away, the wizard tapped each of his ears with his wand, deadening them to all but the most powerful sounds. He then walked down to the shore and dipped his wand into the slightly cold water. With a short stab of his wand, he whispered, "_Clamorous_!"

Even with the brunt of the spell being underwater he heard the massive blast of sound through his deafening charm. Harry was surprised that it had affected him, but didn't really care that much. He had pushed more power into it than necessary, and was certain that the serpent would be coming within a few minutes. They were fast swimmers, and he would be able to see the familiar looping coils a long time before it arrived.

In preparation of the difficult fight that was sure to come, Harry tried to move out of the serpent's range. If it tried to extend itself to far it would likely be beached, something that would make his victory much, much easier. He didn't want to be hit by a strike from the serpent, and if he got high enough ground it wouldn't be able to pull him closer with tidal waves either.

Eventually he settled on an area just below the unscathed portion of the village. He transfigured several things into thick walls of rock that would be capable of stopping the serpent if it struck, and would protect the rest of the village from most of the collateral damage.

He didn't have long to wait before he saw a set of looping coils moving towards him. From the distance he was at he couldn't accurately measure its size, but he began to set up a few rudimentary traps in the area it was likely to go to. The water was surprisingly deep around the village, so it wouldn't have much trouble getting close to him.

Just to be sure it knew where to find him he performed the same trick with the _clamorous_ charm again, although he strengthened his defenses to it this time. Harry smirked in amusement as the creature's vast head, looking very small from the distance, erupted from the water and looked around before finally honing in on the source of the blast.

It seemed to swim to him with renewed vigor, and Harry felt a sinking in his stomach as he realized just how gigantic the serpent was. The beast had practically torn through the water, ignoring the slow, steady way sea serpents normally travelled in favor of pushing through with its own massive bulk. The motion was more of a snake's slithering crawl than looping its coils through the water.

The motion was much more powerful, and the serpent soon grew near. Harry paled as he saw the size of its jaws and the long, thick fangs that were exposed. They looked larger than the basilisk's, although they weren't nearly as deadly thanks to the lack of poison.

Harry forced any nervousness down. He might have never fought a sea serpent before, let alone one of this size, but it would not cow him. A few spells and his strategy would leave it no more dangerous than a flobberworm, albeit one a few thousand times larger than the norm.

When it tore into the bay with furious eyes and hissing in rage, Harry lazily flicked his wand. An explosion underneath the great beast forced a great amount of the sea bed upwards, the impact slightly stunning the serpent. When it was befuddled, Harry transfigured some of the sand near him into boulders, which he then used magic to hurl at the flailing serpent.

The wizard cursed as the boulders did nothing, the serpent's bulk causing them to be little more than pebbles. All his attack had done was reveal his location to him, and that was something the angry serpent took full advantage of with all of its rage.

Harry wasn't sure how it was intelligent enough to intentionally flail and create the powerful waves that crashed onto the shoreline, but didn't think that it was intentional. He'd never seen one of the serpents fight before, but they were supposed to be so gentle and large that they didn't need fighting instincts.

Those waves were mercilessly pounding against the rock walls he had created, and he wondered whether the destruction of the lower village had even been intentional. If it hadn't been for the wall the entire village would be dragged into the ocean.

It took awhile, but the serpent finally calmed down and was now merely glaring at Harry with serpentine eyes. He didn't bother coming up with some amusing one-liner, considering that his foe wouldn't even understand it.

Harry didn't bother using his wand for this. He raised his hand at the water, carefully building up the power within him. There was no spell powerful enough to achieve the same results as what he was about to do, and it had been awhile since he performed anything the old fashioned way.

With a feral grin on his face, Harry forced the power outwards. A blindingly bright bolt of lightning burst from his hand, crackling through the air until it finally meets water.

Even the wizard winced as he heard the keening cut of the serpent's enraged scream as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through it. It flailed wildly, producing a vast amount of disruption in the water. Harry pulled out his wand, preparing to weaken the beast just a little more when it regained control.

It pulled more – much more – of itself out of the bay, showing off its true size. The serpent reared back, and opened the massive jaws that looked as though they could swallow a cow whole, and screamed. Harry winces as its cry of rage washes over him, and he involuntarily stepped back in awe of the monstrous serpent.

Harry's awe turned to fear when it suddenly lunged, its long body allowing it to reach his defenses. It was too fast for him to dodge, but the rock wall saved him. Just like the basilisk when it attacked the statue of Slytherin, its hard skull crushed through the wall.

A bit of the shattered stone flew towards him, but a _protego _kept all but the smallest bits from getting through. He would be bruised the next morning, but those could easily be healed. When the serpent turned its head, the glaring blue eyes staring straight at him, he jumped out of the way just in time before it swung its massive head in a desperate attempt to attack him.

He quickly apparated to another area of the beach and sent another bolt of lightning into the churning sea. As the serpent roared futilely yet again, thrashing its entire body and nearly destroying the rock wall. Harry took advantage of its agony and sent several blasting curses at its long, twisting body.

Harry tried to keep it in the trap – whenever it looked to be recovering, Harry simply shot yet another bolt of lightning into the sea. It was quite effective, and very soon the sea serpent's strength seemed to be draining away. It's slick, dirty green hide was riddled with shallow wounds that slowly dripped scarlet blood into the ocean.

Still, the battle raged on for a very long time. The lightning always brought it down with pain, but it seemed to have very little real effect upon the monster. Harry didn't know how long he kept up the game, but it felt as though it were at least an hour of dodging, shocking, and blasting. Bright flashes of light and cries of rage and agony were all that he focused on, and that kept him alive. One last repeat of the lightning and blasting charms and the serpent finally collapsed.

Despite its blooded appearance, the serpent was still stronger than any creature had a right to be. It had nearly gotten him once when he had thought it was finally down before, turning its head with lightning speed and lunging at him while he had been dazed from apparition. He had barely dodged the gaping maw and was forced to apparate away as soon as he was able.

This time, however, he was more careful. The wizard leveled his wand at the creatures head as he slowly moved closer. Just to be safe, he shot another burst of lightning into the bay. It thrashed a bit, but it seemed to be too tired to attack him again. Harry was still ready to apparate, but he wanted to get close to it and see if it had anything that might be causing its rage.

Amazingly enough the cautious wizard managed to get within just a few feet from the serpent, more than close enough to examine it. He was aware of the ocean blue eyes glaring hatefully at him but dismissed it. So long as the monstrous creature didn't snap at him he was fine with it.

He didn't really know what he was looking for, just that he should keep an eye out for any injuries that weren't caused by his blasting charms.

It was a shame that there weren't many spells as brutally effective at fighting creatures with an innate magical resistance than the blasting charm. He had thought that there would be tons of spells that drew upon the elements that would work well, but the creatures' resistance dulled the magically created elements. The blasting charm, however, was simple to do and caused an explosion on impact. It still wasn't incredibly effective when it came to bringing down gigantic creatures like the sea serpent, but it was a more effective choice than anything else he had available…Aside from those bursts of lightning, that was.

Harry found himself admiring the sheer size and power of the creature as he slowly paced alongside it. It was much larger up close than even he had imagined, and it dwarfed the basilisk even when it came to length. The serpent was only slightly larger than Salazar's pet when it came to girth, but it was still ridiculously large. Had it been able to move effectively on land it would probably be able to plow through an entire village and hardly notice.

Something just felt off about it though. As he'd been thinking the entire time that he had been on this job, sea serpents never intentionally caused damage. And for this single serpent, which was monstrous even compared to the other massive examples of its kind, to be the only one to be on a rampage worried him. It didn't seem right. Perhaps its size had something to do with the rampage, but he couldn't confirm anything.

It was unfortunate that he had to kill such an astounding example of its species. They were rare enough as it was, and he didn't like having to take this one out of the breeding pool. But the potential danger of letting it free was much too high, and Harry wouldn't have the destruction of a town or village on his conscience.

Before he killed it though, he wanted to see what it felt like. This would hopefully be the last time he would ever have to fight one. He hadn't relished the experience at all and would try to avoid any aggressive sea serpents in the future. So he carefully stepped up to the side, ready to apparate away if he saw any sign of movement. The monster stayed docile, however, although it tensed when Harry laid his hand on its side.

Harry marveled at the feeling. It was covered with tiny scales, so small that they were practically invisible until he was just a foot away. They seemed much more like the smooth scales of a reptile or skin than the iridescent armor of some fish. The scales were somewhat slimy, and he reminded himself to vanish the slime that was stuck to his palm.

But there was something else there, some sort of underlying influence that wasn't physical, but mental and emotional. It felt as though it had firmly entrenched itself inside the great serpent, and he suspected that it was only his connection to magic that allowed him to feel it. Harry noticed that it was much easier to feel other magical beings' emotions when he was touching them in this time period, although everyone could do it back in his old time as well. It had always been a weak sense, but always present.

Unfortunately there wasn't enough information for him to come up with a hypothesis, so he prepared to do his duty. There wasn't anything he could do for the serpent, and he supposed that he would just have to ponder the mystery later.

He apparated away to an area far away from the doomed sea serpent and prepared to end it. Harry was aware that it had managed to detect his new location and was still staring at him with those hateful eyes, but ignored them. The creature would be at peace soon enough.

Harry aimed his hand at the bay one last time. The wizard noticed that it finally seemed to calm down as the serpent's fury was beaten out of it. Forcing a much greater amount of power into his streak of lightning than usual, the tired wizard watched as the lightning coursed through the monstrous sea serpent's body, causing it to spasm and thrash in agony for the last time.

Unlike the other short streams of lightning he had used, this one was both more powerful and fueled for a longer duration. It was not made to incapacitate, but to kill. The magic did its job well, finally bringing the broken serpent down after nearly half a minute of agony.

The wizard collapsed when it was over with and took a few minutes to rest. He cleaned himself off using several familiar charms that made him look good as new. Harry wished he had pepper-up potion or something else to reinvigorate him after battles. Unfortunately he lacked both the ingredients and the equipment, and still didn't know many of the magical plants of Greece. He'd had more important things to do.

When he felt better and cleaner Harry went down to the corpse. Just to make sure it was dead and wouldn't be in agony for the rest of its very short life, Harry cast a killing curse onto one of its blank blue eyes. The serpent didn't have any sort of reaction, so Harry was satisfied that he wouldn't be condemning it to horrific pain.

He took a moment to take some trophies from it – a few cutting curses got him a large square of its hide and it was easy enough to pull its fangs out – and shrunk them. Harry put the tiny items into the small bag on his waist. The wizard had finally managed to discover how to put a few basic enchantments on his items that wouldn't wear off quickly, and it was something he had used to the largest extent he could. Several bags were enchanted to hold several dozen times the amount of things he usually could, and a bit of clever spellwork made sure that he couldn't actually feel the weight.

Harry supposed that he was lucky in that no one in Athens would dare to steal from him. They were all too familiar with some of his abilities now, something that shrouded him in a cloak of fear and mystery to the average townsperson.

And in other places he travelled to the uncomfortable pressure that his magic exerted on the people unfamiliar with it – that is to say all of them – kept anyone that wasn't a witch or wizard away. They still gawked at him due to his unfamiliar looks, but nobody wanted to get close to him.

It was good that the villagers here were too busy and terrified to be affected by it or he might have had a difficult time talking to any of them. Perhaps they would react normally now that the danger had passed.

Harry decided to be helpful and with a few waves of his wand restored the upper portion of the village to the condition it had been in before the battle. He looked admiringly at his handiwork for a moment before returning to reality.

With a sigh he went off to find the villagers and report that the task had been completed. He was sure they would be happy about the serpent's corpse – it would be able to feed them very well until the meat went bad. They would certainly be having a feast to night.

X

Harry nodded at the exultant villagers to confirm the sea serpent's death, ignoring the frantic questions and cheers. They were less excited at the serpent's death than the fact that they would have plenty of food and materials to work with. It wasn't quite surprising, considering that they had gotten used to death over their lifetimes and the carcass would allow them to rebuild and possibly attract the travelling merchants that would want such rare materials.

But that wasn't his business. He'd completed his task, and he would be glad to rest for a while. Harry was still quite young by wizarding standards and there were no major physical changes that had occurred over the past decade, but the constant conflict had caused him to value the scarce moments of peace whenever he could.

The wizard nodded to the villager he had first spoken to one last time before leaving for Athens. It would be a long trip and he didn't enjoy leaving Thera alone for so long, but he had learned that it could be much more profitable to take the long road home. There were always opportunities to help people and remove some of the danger that persisted in haunting the roads of Greece.

The celebrating villagers barely even realized when the wizard left, too caught up in their joy to bother with their savior. Harry just smiled and swept away. He was used to this thing by now. His presence was uncomfortable for muggles, so they tended to ignore him whenever they were able.

Harry shrugged his thoughts away and continued on his journey. He didn't want Thera to get into too much trouble while he was gone.

XX

He grimaced as he pulled out a large piece of meat from his bag. The preservation and stasis charms had failed for some reason and the piece of meat – he remembered it being from some sort of boar – was discolored and had an unpleasant odor.

Harry wrinkled his nose as the full force of the odor reached his nose and tossed the meat into the small camp fire he had made a few moments ago. He heard a hiss as the bad meat was consumed by the flames and leaned back against the large rock he was sitting near to.

Only two days until he returned to Athens. He would probably be pestered by Thera for days until he finally taught her some new trick with magic. It was one of their little rituals that had emerged after he first left her in order to fulfill an important job – something about a marauding band of centaurs, although he couldn't remember the precise details.

The wizard smiled at his memories and closed his eyes. He was well-protected with a variety of the wards he had learned in his time as an auror and could more than adequately protect himself from any brigands that might be haunting the area.

Most wouldn't dare to attack him even if they could find him. Harry had become well-known during his time in Greece. Tales of the lone warrior that fought with the power of a god had become commonplace throughout the areas he visited and his legend had spread, although few could recognize him. He didn't even need to accept payment for his good deeds anymore – he just followed requests and rumors and vanquished whatever supernatural threat had appeared before vanishing.

Harry yawned and pulled himself out of his thoughts and memories. He had a long day ahead of him and should try to sleep as much as he could.

Suddenly a piercing screech split through his head. Harry instantly snapped to attention and kept a firm hold on his wand. That had been his proximity ward going off, warning him that someone – it wouldn't detect mere animals unless they were magical in some way – had entered his little campsite.

But it went blank a few moments later. Not even the faintest remnant of the shriek remained. Harry blanched when he realized what had happened. Something had destroyed his ward, an impressive feat even in his own time.

It took a lot to destroy a ward brought into being by a powerful wizard. The destroyer had to be either extremely powerful – at least in comparison to the caster, although the powerful magical creatures so abundant in this area due to its proximity to Melite's mountain could naturally disrupt them – or extremely skilled in regards to ward breaking. In this time any of those could be a threat.

Harry was alert and searched the area as more and more of his wards were simply extinguished. He was actually nervous for the first time in so many years, at least in regards to a combat situation. Whatever did this was powerful, and he doubted that he would be able to defeat it in battle. His best chance would be to escape after identifying it.

After nearly a minute of being on guard, Harry heard a branch snap. His head snapped toward the source and his eyes picked two glowing white orbs out of the darkness. Harry gripped his wand tightly as he raised it. Those glowing orbs – eyes, he corrected – had illuminated the figure of an impossibly tall and powerful looking man that was hidden in the darkness.

He gritted his teeth as he prepared to attack the man. Something that powerful couldn't be friendly. Harry raised his wand and had the blasting curse on his lips when the figure waved its shadowed hand.

Ultimately, that made his attack impossible. As though the being had sensed his intentions, an oppressive aura of stifling emanated from the figure and hung around Harry's much smaller form. It exhausted him and instilled upon him an odd sense of apathy. His body collapsed back to the ground when the aura finally overpowered him.

Now confident in its safety, the figure strode proudly into the clearing. Harry was astonished when he saw the now visible man in his entirety. He was even taller than Harry had initially suspected – the man was at least seven feet tall, although he didn't look out of place like Hagrid and was perfectly proportioned – and had broad shoulders and a proud, wise looking face. The eyes glowed even brighter in the dim, flickering light of the small fire and were completely solid, lacking any separation between the retina and the whites of the eyes.

The small, blazing flames gazed ambivalently at him, and Harry finally heard the man's voice. It was unnaturally deep, and each word seemed to hang in the air for a moment before finally dissipating. The overall effect was distinctly unnerving and struck a chord of fear into the normally stoic wizard.

"You…you do not belong here." The voice boomed. "You are unnatural, a blight upon this time."

Some of the pressure from the man's aura was relieved, allowing Harry to speak and recover his will.

"Are you afraid of my magic?" He asked with gritted teeth. "It makes me no more unnatural than you."

"Your magic draws no fear from me." The man replied. "It is little more than a child's plaything, unsuited for use against your betters. What I speak of is not your spark, but your placement. You are not a part of this time. You are not meant to be here."

"It took you this long to figure out?" Harry asked sarcastically. "I've been in this time for nearly fifteen years, though, so I think I have as much right to be here as anyone else."

The man drew closer. Harry struggled to breathe as the aura grew even more oppressive. It felt like his body was about to collapse upon itself. Was this what it felt like for the muggles he lived around?

"Do not be insolent with me, child." The man stated impassively. "I have felt you for a long time, but only now have I deemed you to be worthy of my attention. Your fate has not yet been decided."

"Who are you to determine my fate?" Harry demanded. He had fought fate his entire life. His struggles and victories would not be undone by some stranger, no matter how powerful they were.

"I am Kronos." The man boomed. "And you are my responsibility. It has been a long time since one of the children meddled with the fabric of time and I will not allow you to unduly affect it. Now tell me why you have abandoned your own time."

Harry opened his eyes in relief when the pressure loosened again. With a shaky voice he replied, "It was not my decision to come here. I'm just trying to make the most of it. Why have you taken so long in choosing my fate?"

Kronos stared back, white eyes meeting green. "I did not. When you first arrived I watched and waited. Your apprentice proved to be a threat to you, so I harbored his hatred and disgust at you and taught him what you needed to know. I had planned to have him kill you without revealing my presence, but I reflected upon my thoughts and left you both."

Old, painful memories flashed through Harry's mind. Specifically, that of Herpo's sudden resurrection in their last battle.

"You saved him!" Harry shouted accusingly, forgotten rage coloring his tones. "You kept that bastard from dying. You let him run free to wreak havoc upon the world!"

Kronos didn't even blink at the accusations. "Yes. He is a useful tool, if a rather predictable one. His power is impressive for a child, even rivaling the weakest of my kind. There are other children that have spawned as well with even greater power. Your apprentice will soon be replaced."

"What?" Harry said in shock. What others? There were more of these impossibly powerful creatures? Perhaps the being meant that more powerful wizards and witches had been born. Maybe he even meant Thera – she was unnaturally powerful, although even she didn't have the sheer pressure of Kronos.

"Silence." Kronos said with unnatural calm. His white eyes flared up as the pressure suddenly increased. Harry grimaced. It felt as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "I am thinking. There are several ways to deal with you and I must understand the most efficient."

Harry's vision was starting to become blurry as the minutes went on. As Kronos pondered his fate the force became more and more powerful. Soon it would likely crush him.

Even as Harry began to increase his struggles to be free of the horrible force, Kronos' bright eyes turned to the wizard.

"I have reached my conclusion." Kronos announced suddenly. Harry paled as he saw the being raise a massive hand and conjure a brilliantly silver sickle that glowed with icy power. "You are not to remain in this time. You are too unpredictable and your presence will lead to chaos."

The massive man stepped towards him with powerful strides. Harry struggled to free himself from the pressure that bound him and desperately tried to twist away in order to apparate. He failed and saw Kronos raise that horribly glowing sickle.

Harry closed his eyes as it began to descend, but his oblivion never came. He heard whispers emanate from a source close to him, causing the wizard to open his eyes in curiosity.

A slight, glowing delightfully female – although he couldn't quite appreciate that detail in his current situation – figure was standing in front of him. He struggled to recognize the thinly garbed woman as she casually kept Kronos' sickle from eviscerating him with a single hand.

It wasn't until she spoke that his awed and terrified mind recognized her.

"Begone, Titan." The nymph commanded. Harry looked at Melite with wide eyes as the air grew cold and damp. Nature itself was responding to her fury. "I have claim to the child's blood. You will not take him from me."

Kronos' eyes dimmed. Harry released the breath he'd been unconsciously holding as the massive being banished his gigantic weapon, allowing the silver sickle to dissolve into nothingness.

"Your ward is a threat." Kronos warned. His voice reverberated with power, the words overlapping as they hung in the cold air. "And you shall regret your defense of him soon enough. Not even the Lady of the Mountain may protect him away from your bastion of power. You are limited in ways that I am not."

Melite's body seemed to glow silver in the moonlight. Harry shivered at her voice as she responded to Kronos. It lacked the warm, seductive feeling it had possessed in their last encounter more than a decade ago, instead filled with a regal coldness that reminded him of the beast that lurked within the beauty.

"I might be limited, but I have a far greater reach than you could possibly imagine, Titan." She hissed. Harry thought that Kronos almost shrank back, although the being's eyes burned with defiance. "Do not test me. You are the last of a dead race and an era that few remember. I do not desire to end you, but if you threaten my ward than you will be torn apart by forces you can only begin to understand."

"You are not nearly as powerful as you once were." Kronos said calmly, none of his fear or annoyance leaking into his words. "It would be foolish of you to test your strength against mine over such a small matter. Neither of us could afford it."

Harry couldn't see her face, but he suspected the nymph was smiling as she spoke to Kronos. He simply observed and took advantage of the sudden lack of Kronos' pressure to breathe deeply.

"Your own strength has waned as well." Melite responded. "And I have developed power in a way that you would find impossible. It would not be a duel between us should we come to blows, it would be my entire court against you. You are not invincible, and you would be wise to remember that fact. Begone from this land."

The Titan – whatever that was, Harry thought as he realized that the term had never existed in any of his history books – showed his first expression of annoyance by narrowing his eyes. Harry winced as some of the pressure returned, although it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before Melite arrived.

"Very well." Kronos said in his eternally calm voice, wiping away any semblance of frustration. "But remember that your influence has its bounds. Even you cannot protect the child forever."

With that Kronos began to glow a brilliant white that matched his eyes. Melite turned to Harry.

"Avert your eyes." She murmured to the bemused wizard. Harry did so. A moment later he saw the light flare up before suddenly vanishing.

When he felt that it was safe he turned his eyes to Melite. The beautiful nymph was staring at the spot Kronos had just vacated with a troubled expression. He was silent for a few moments but couldn't hold in his questions. Little of the recent events had been within his understanding.

"Melite?" He asked quietly, unsure if he should attach some sort of honorific to her name. She was far more powerful than he could have ever thought. Even Kronos – who seemed to be to him what a wizard was to a muggle – seemed to fear her. That spoke volumes to him.

"Yes?" She asked, averting her eyes from Kronos' former location. "What is it you need?"

"What was he?" Harry asked. It wasn't quite what he wanted to know, but Melite seemed to understand.

"He is the last remnant of a people long extinct, the lone Titan that survived his kind's destruction. It is a better place without them." Melite replied. "You are fortunate that my mountain is near."

Harry wasn't quite sure to say to that, so he just nodded. He still couldn't see her face and so couldn't know what she was thinking.

"Be wary when you leave this area." Melite suddenly warned. "Kronos is hunting you. He is too dedicated to his duty to let you escape him. Even the possibility of destruction will not dissuade him for long."

He paled, thinking of what would happen if Kronos went after Thera. She was strong, much stronger than him, in fact, but his daughter lacked the experience to even attempt to escape Kronos. Even her power would do little to aid her in a confrontation with the Titan, not when Kronos could make him completely useless just by being in his presence.

"Then what do I do?" Harry questioned. "I can't just run my entire life. He could probably catch me the moment I'm away from you."

"I believe I have a solution for that." Melite said, turning her head so he could see her smile. Harry barely repressed a shudder as he saw the remarkably sharp teeth she hid. "Your blood gives me quite a bit of power over you, and I'm sure that I can put that power to good use."

His blood ran cold. He had always known that Melite had power over him due to the drops of blood he had given, but he had managed to put in the back of his mind while he raised Thera and lived his life. It seemed that it was time to pay his dues.

"Do not worry." Melite said with the same smile. "I do not plan on keeping you on my mountain as some sort of pet, nor sending you to do deeds that would be beyond you in various ways. What I have planned is mutually beneficial for both of us."

The wizard nodded and waited for her to continue. He wouldn't trust her, but she had all the power. Besides, she seemed to like him for some reason.

"You see, we both have two foes in common." The nymph continued with a calculating glint in her eyes. "Kronos has proved to be a formidable opponent in the past, and I tire of coming into conflict with him. His pawn has become dangerous as well. He has passed through my territory several times and I have felt the poison that floods through his mind. The pawn has become ambitious, and soon he will make an attempt to destabilize the balance."

"How do you propose that I kill Kronos?" Harry asked. Herpo wouldn't be a problem. Even with ten years of learning, he couldn't have become knowledgeable enough to pose a challenge to him. He might be more powerful than Harry, but a wand would easily hand Harry the victory. "I can't even keep myself standing when he's around, let alone fight."

Melite smiled and put a soft, pale hand on his shoulder. "There are many beings hidden in this land that make Kronos and I little more than children. Should worst come to worst we will wake one. Until that happens, however, it shall be I that slays the Titan."

Harry inwardly grimaced as he felt her hand grow cold as she spoke of Kronos. The air lacked the icy edge that it had held when Melite was standing off with Kronos, but it was still colder than it should be this time of year.

"I cannot remain so far from my mountain much longer, little one." Melite murmured as she removed her hand from his shoulder. He could see that her perfect form was beginning to waver at the edges. "It is taxing. This projection will soon fail me."

Wait, Harry thought, this was just a projection? And she still managed to change the weather? It seemed that she was even more powerful than he had thought. He was just a man fighting amongst giants.

He looked up and realized that more of her form was beginning to fade. Harry met her warm eyes as she gave him one last order.

"Come to my mountain soon." She said. It sounded as though she were speaking through water, although the words were easily understandable. "It is your sanctuary."

A few moments later her body melted into a thin mist. It lingered in the air for a moment before forming into a small stream that gracefully flowed in the direction of Melite's mountain. Harry stared after it for a moment before sighing and turning away.

He needed to get Thera before Kronos – or worse, Herpo – discovered her. Kronos would kill her or hold her captive in order to draw him away from Melite's protection. Herpo would do unspeakable things that would leave Harry a sobbing, vengeful wreck.

A twist of his body later placed him in Athens. He needed to find Thera soon.

Even as he made his way toward his home – now much larger and more regal than the rough shack that he had tutored Herpo in – he was unaware of a set of pale yellow eyes watching him from the darkness.


	6. Chapter 6: Appeal to Darkness

He was so close. Today his long, hard years of investigation would finally pay off. This last decade of his life searching for this prize, the thing that would propel him into greatness and place him far beyond the power of that fool that had attempted to restrain him.

His lip curled up into a sneer as he thought of his first master. The fool had been useful, that was fact, but he was too limited, too easily manipulated to truly teach him the mysteries of magic. All he had been good for was explaining the great power he had been born with and teaching him the basics.

Perhaps he would have been forced to stay under the fool's heel, learning at a snail's pace while the power that burned in his blood demanded to be set free upon the world. Eventually he had managed to blind the fool to even the most obvious abuses of his power – he had begun to suspect that his own magic aided his manipulations – and was free to test his power upon the townspeople.

That wasn't a mistake. He reveled in the numerous opportunities his power gave him.

Did he desire something? Did he simply want to see something scream as he casually wove an illusion of pain around them? Did he want to laugh at the terror in their eyes?

Magic was the key to all of that and limitless other possibilities. He had refined his talent on those pathetic wretches and, after a few of the rituals that his true master had shown him, he had even judged himself to be powerful enough to take on the fool by himself.

So he had become lax in hiding his rituals. He no longer sealed the areas off, no longer followed his true master's instructions in hiding the aura of the pure magic from the judgmental fool's senses. All of that proved to be the worst mistake he ever made.

Although he had become more powerful than the fool could have known, the fool still easily outmatched him. Had it not been for his true master's lessons in shields, he would have burned to death in the inferno that the fool created.

Even when the fool had been weakened he had still handily fought him off. Apparently the fool hadn't shown him the full extent of his power. It was only through cunning use of poison and fire that he had managed to escape the fool's wrath.

And that was how he died for the first time. It took an entire of month of carefully conserving his energy and leaving the smallest hints for the fool. He had expected to kill his former master in an ambush, and even hired some of those strange rogues that he'd seen in Athens in order to have an advantage.

Unfortunately, his former master proved to be more dangerous than even he'd anticipated. The fool had attacked with a horrific fury that quickly killed the rogues before turning upon him. He had never expected to have to fight the fool in a fair battle, and his former master had allowed him to burn to death with some accursed blue flame.

His great life might have ended right there. In fact, it did for a moment. For just a single second, he knew oblivion. Not even his powerful magic had saved him from his former master's fury, and it was only due to the intervention of his true master – he didn't know where the strange presence had gone during the long month he had spent fleeing Harry – that he survived.

In some great influx of magic – magic inherently different to what he had been taught or what he could even understand – he had been reinvigorated and shocked back into life, although he suffered terrible pain after he had driven the fool away. Although he had searched for his true master again, the presence had faded away and left him all alone in the world.

But he had risen far beyond what any of his former masters could anticipate and would soon gain power beyond what they could dream of. He had studied the old legends that had survived the collapse of the last empire that had dominated the region and had searched vast swathes of land in order to find the places where magic was strong.

The legends spoke of unnatural creatures that knew everything. They were said to be beyond human understanding and capable of feats no man could hope to match. Perhaps he was foolish to have spent so much time searching for legends and folk tales, but he was desperate. The fool still hunted for him and he lacked the knowledge and power to face him.

Still, his struggles had paid off. Even now he ventured into the dark cave where power that he couldn't quite comprehend tugged at the magic in his veins. Strange whispers whose meaning eluded him sunk into his mind and intensified the darkness that surrounded him.

He continued on, heedless of the strange happenings. This was the culmination of his search and his sleeping target would elude him no more. Soon he would be free to do anything he wished.

For what seemed like hours the wizard fearlessly walked into the darkness, even as the whispers grew more frequent and the sense of wrongness sunk into every bit of his body.

Eventually he reached a cavern. No light illuminated its secrets, and any flames or light that he attempted to conjure were unable to form, snuffed out before it even formed. The wizard smiled in excitement and suddenly shouted out into the darkness. It was a single word, but it brought power with its utterance.

"Erebus!"

That was the name he had uncovered from dank crypts and forgotten monuments. He knew not its true meaning, but even thinking it caused the shadows around him to creep towards him and slowly intensify.

But here, in this void of light, the whispers intensified and the blackness seemed to seep into his very soul.

The all encompassing darkness seemed to wink out any last trace of light from existence as the entity began to awake from its long slumber. He looked out into the darkness with blind eyes as the blackness _shifted _in a way that not even he could put words to.

Something awoke. The whispers turned into wails and shouts and tore his mind apart as they ran through and searched every length and crevice of his mind and soul.

He screamed. Not even those accursed blue flames the fool had seared him with could match the defilement his mind was put through.

Slowly, however, the screams and whispers and shouts and voices brought understanding. They failed to be indecipherable wails and noises, instead beginning to translate into a voiceless chorus of thought and magic made manifest.

_Why are you here?_ The chorus screamed and wailed.

He laughed madly. "I am here because you are what I seek. You are Erebus, Darkness, Shadow made Flesh. You will give me the power I deserve."

Silence came from the darkness. Even the whispers vanished as the awakening entity stared into the soul of the wizard.

_You are weak._ The voices said in scorn. _You seek to use my power to rule. You seek to dominate with the lone drop of power that flows through your veins. You equate Darkness with abuse, corruption, and evil. I am Darkness. I am not Evil. _

"You are Darkness! I am of the Darkness!" He cried into the black. As the voices whispered and screamed into his mind he could see the faint outlines of something in the darkness. "You will give me the power I deserve!" He demanded.

_You seek power._ The voices said, twisting and shifting into a single voice of indescribable power and perfection. _Your foe is too great and you are too weak. Time's child abandoned you and you are helpless against those that seek your blood._

"Yes!" He wailed in glee. "I am weak! I am helpless! You bestowed wonders upon savages and mere mortals! Will you not bestow it upon a god amongst men?"

_You fancy yourself a god?_ The chorus screeched in amusement. _You are a mere babe in the shadows of your betters. You will receive power but you will not enjoy it. You will receive knowledge but you will revile it._

He laughed in gleeful perfection as he realized the Darkness would answer his pleas. The chorus would gift him with what he sought most!

The screaming of the resplendent chorus was silenced. It was soon replaced by something else, something Dark beyond belief. The Darkness was incomprehensible to his mind, flooding it with thoughts he couldn't understand and images that defied logic.

His contact with the Darkness went on for eternity. Knowledge of ancient things and works of ungodly power flooded his mind and flitted away before he could understand. Words so alien that their concepts could not be grasped burned themselves into his mind and soul, despite his struggles to escape their influence.

He broke as it ended. The Darkness drew away, replaced by the beautiful chorus that sung sweet words of hatred into his mind. He grinned widely as he understood their true meaning, not the pathetically fragmented glimpses of thought he had received previously.

_You are weak._ The chorus hissed in delight. _A moment's glimpse into the abyss has ruined you. Begone, worm, and leave me to my slumber._

The wizard groaned as the voices carved into his mind for the last time, uselessly wishing for them to return. He wanted the knowledge back; he wanted to feel that ungodly power coursing through his every thought and whim. It was still in his mind, but it was fleeting.

Every time he grasped for the knowledge and pattern the Darkness had imparted upon his ruined, shattered mind he found himself focusing instead upon inane, trivial things that had no place in the path to power he had just embarked upon.

He gasped for air as the Darkness seemed to intensify; shifting into a form whose outlines he couldn't see but knew was there. Herpo gave off a rattling gasp as the cold, stale air in the vast cavern grew heavy and began to weigh heavily upon his body. With great effort he pulled himself up to his feet, only now realizing that he had collapsed as the Darkness tore into his mind with its mental claws.

Even his fractured mind could understand that he needed to leave this place. Herpo brought all of his willpower to bear and began the trudge out of the bowels of Darkness and into the familiar realm of light. He focused not upon the slow suffocation and merciless pressure the Darkness was applying to him, but instead upon his dreams of power and control that would soon be realized.

The Darkness followed him. Its voice that combined its mind into a single, unbroken cord had dissolved into innumerable whispers and wails that traced Herpo's every step and surrounded his form. They were incapable of being understood by Herpo's warped mind. He could not understand these mere fragments, not when he had felt and heard the true voice of Darkness in his soul and bones.

Eventually the whispers tapered off and left him. Herpo could see light a few feet ahead and he stepped into it. The light blinded him and singed his skin, but its effects wore off after a while.

He was free, he realized. The Darkness had let him leave its domain. There was nothing that could hold him back. Not even the fool could stop him now.

In fact, he was more than free. He had ascended past the pitiful bonds that had held him back before he had found the Darkness and was gifted with its knowledge. The world was his for the taking.

Herpo laughed at the bright sun and the light it released upon the world. It would not be through its power that he would rule.

Now all he had to do was remember.


	7. Chapter 7: The Apprentice

A/N: I apologize for the wait, but I've been finalizing the plot for this story. Hopefully the next chapter will be out much soon. Try to ignore the fact that I say that every single update.

"Thera, we need to get out of here."

Those were the first words Harry said to his daughter after he'd wakened her from slumber. He hadn't been particularly gentle in his panic, so she was looking at him in a rather annoyed fashion at the moment.

"What's wrong?" She demanded in a tone that most women and girls wouldn't dream of addressing a man with.

Harry had told her to state her opinions and keep a strong will, both things that were rather rare amongst women in this time period. There was too much danger in this wild time for her to be meek and submissive.

He'd heard rumors of women in a distant region that were warriors and governed themselves, but he didn't put too much stock in them.

"There's a threat. Something too powerful for us to face." He gasped out. "I'll explain more later; but for now we need to escape. An old friend is providing a secure location for us to stay."

Thera narrowed her eyes. Harry glared back at her. This wasn't the time for questions.

"I thought you said we were the only wizards aside from that apprentice of yours." The teen's eyes widened. "Wait, he's not the one we're running from, is he?"

Harry shook his head and began to dig out his portkey from a hidden cavity in one of his home's walls. He tapped it with his finger and gave it a destination – Melite's mountain. "No. Look, I'll explain more later. But we need to get out of here first."

His daughter was silent and grabbed a large leather bag next to her bed. A flick of her wrist caused all of her prized possessions – mostly little artifacts and trophies from his kills that Harry had given to her as gifts – and more important things like chunks of precious metals that could be bartered with in most of Greece's isolated city-states.

He was quite relieved when the portkey was done. Although he could always apparate with her if necessary, he would prefer not to. Melite's mountain was probably one of the most magically powerful locations in Greece, which could interfere with less stable methods of transportation like apparition.

Portkeys, however, disregarded the targeted location's magical power and simply placed the user there. It was why Harry was so glad that he had been forced to learn to create portkeys during his time as an auror. The portkeys made long distance travel much easier in this time of wild, natural magic.

"All right." Harry began. Thera drew closer and awaited his commands. "You know how to use portkeys. Just hold on and don't let go."

"Understood." Thera said with a determined look on her face. Harry had to hide a smile at that.

He tapped the portkey and activated it with a spark of magic. It would take a minute for it to activate due to his spark being much weaker than what he could provide using a wand – he still didn't use his wand where Thera could see it. He didn't want to reveal it quite yet.

Harry was tense in the minute they waited. He knew that Kronos could be here at any time and didn't think he could even hold the monstrously powerful entity off for more than a few seconds. And considering the sheer power the being had displayed, he was sure that it would be able to interfere with the portkey somehow.

To alleviate his nerves, he briefed Thera of what to do when they arrived at the destination. Just in case Kronos showed up.

"Find a woman named Melite. She's the ruler of the mountain and can protect us." Harry explained. His tone became darker and more firm afterwards. "She is our ally, but do not let her give you anything aside from safety without knowing the price. Do not trust her and always be wary. Melite is a capricious force."

Thera nodded. Harry noticed that she looked rather pale. He could understand it just fine – she hadn't been in many threatening situations, especially not in one that Harry couldn't protect her from.

"After we know we're safe," he continued, "we'll make a plan. Until then, you need to run from anything that doesn't seem –"

Harry quickly erected a shield when he sensed something _dark_. It barely stopped a streak of pale, sickly yellow light that had flashed towards them. He nearly gagged at the feeling the dark magic left him with. The spell left him feeling greasy. A thick, oily texture rooted itself in his mouth.

He quickly conjured his stone slabs to block any more attacks. Two of them were sent to protect Thera from any more attacks while the last remained near him. Harry only had a second to prepare himself before the side of his house imploded, showering him with plaster and wood.

The wizard was largely unaffected, although a few pieces of shattered wood and debris made it past his stone. He gritted his teeth against the slight pain resulting from it and moved to protect Thera. She still had a few seconds before the portkey would take her to safety.

He knew it wasn't Kronos. That oppressive presence that made him feel as though his lungs were being crushed hadn't appeared and he doubted that Kronos would need such brutal methods to enter his home. It had to be some sort of lackey that was acting on the entity's orders.

And that meant he could kill it. Kronos was beyond him, but there was no way its slaves were. He had grown more powerful in the time he had been here and hadn't met a foe besides Kronos that he couldn't defeat.

So he decided to stay and kill it. He couldn't let it know his location or any of his tools, nor that he had a daughter. Harry wouldn't allow Thera to be discovered or hurt.

"Keep a hand on the portkey!" He whispered to Thera in the tense silence. Harry didn't bother to look back at her. Whoever was attacking them was too dangerous to give such a great opportunity to. "Remember what I told you."

"I will." She whispered. Harry felt a slight shift in the room when the portkey finally activated, whisking the inexperienced girl away from the battle. He carefully scanned the area, looking past the dust as best he could. The slabs protecting Thera returned to him and slowly orbited his body.

A flash of something in the corner of his eye. Harry didn't bother identifying it, instead opting to fire several killing curses at it. He felt his wand – which had been left neglected for several years now, save for the most desperate of situations – grow hot in his hand as he finally used it again. Until he identified the threat he would be attacking with all of his considerable power.

He scowled at his unseen foe as he heard sinister laughter from all around him. Apparently none of his killing curses had hit their target.

"You'll have to do better than that to defeat me." A voice whispered in his ear. Harry jumped in surprise and blasted the area around him with pale blue flame. It quickly dissipated, revealing that it hadn't hit anything.

Harry growled in annoyance and prepared to apparate away. Even if he couldn't make it to Melite's mountain he could at least get away from this enemy. He couldn't do much against the being if he couldn't even see it.

"None of that now." The voice said again. Harry gasped in pain as a powerful pressure filled the air and placed a noticeable weight upon his shoulders. He recognized it as a rudimentary anti-apparition ward.

He began to feel the first real stirrings of fear. That ward shouldn't exist in this time, not even at a basic level. It was from a long time in the future. Its presence wasn't just unexpected, it should have been impossible.

Harry gripped his wand tightly, turning his knuckles white. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to escape this enemy. He would have to stand and fight with all of the ferocity and desperation that he could muster.

A bright red light – too pale to be the cruciatus and too dark to be the disarming charm – was suddenly intercepted by a slab. Harry snapped his wand toward the area the spell had come from and liberally fired killing curses into it, muttering the incantation so that his foe couldn't hear it.

The strange spell didn't bode well for him. Spells shouldn't even exist yet. He hadn't introduced any to either of his apprentices. All the magic he had introduced was wandless, consisting of primitive attacks and effects such as producing lightning or streams of flame. Harry hadn't even hinted at controlled, advanced magic such as spells.

Suddenly the thin form of a man emerged from the shadows in front of him, seemingly from nowhere. Harry leveled his wand at the shadowy figure and prepared to kill him at a moment's notice.

His revealed foe was strange. He wore the clothes of an average traveler, although they were finely made and cleaner than any normal traveler's clothing. The skin he could see was pale, albeit not to the unnatural degree that would identify him as a vampire or another form of magical entity. What annoyed him was that the man's face was obscured by the shadows that seemed to shroud him. His face seemed to be slightly downturned, hiding his eyes and any features that might have been discernible.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded. His wand grew hot in his hand as the shadowed figure turned his face upwards and looked at Harry with pale yellow eyes that shined with an unearthly glow. The wizard's stomach dropped when he saw the eyes. He knew who this was.

The pale eyes gleamed malevolently as Harry's former apprentice regarded the older wizard.

"Do you not recognize your own apprentice?" Herpo replied smoothly, completely at ease in the face of the wizard that had nearly killed him. "We had quite the year together, you know. It's quite the shame it had to end."

Harry didn't have time for his former apprentice's games.

"What are you doing here, Herpo?" He said in a tight voice, barely constraining the rage at the bastard. "Why have you emerged from whatever dank cave you've been hiding in?"

Herpo laughed uproariously at that for some reason Harry didn't understand. He quickly calmed himself and regarded Harry with the cold eyes that betrayed his true nature.

"I'm here to kill you, of course. I was planning on killing that daughter of yours as well, although I could certainly think of some other uses for her." Herpo smirked. Harry had to resist the urge to attack. He needed to get whatever information he could, no matter how insufferable the bastard was. It wouldn't be long before he killed Herpo, anyway.

"But I suppose you've ruined that plan with whatever that toy you gave her." Herpo drawled. "How inconsiderate of you. Oh well, you'll still be more than satisfying to kill. Besides," he said, pale yellow eyes glowing in anticipation, "I'll track the girl down later and rend her limb from limb. It will be an interesting little project."

Harry scowled. "Why did you come back? You have to know that I'll kill you. The last time we dueled I sent you running with your tail between your legs. I'll do much worse this time."

"I suppose I could give your feeble little mind a bit of enlightenment before I send you to the Void." The skinny man said in a disturbingly jovial tone. "You see, I have finally found myself again after all these years. I've remembered lessons that you can't even hope to comprehend. I have the power to kill you now."

The older wizard prepared himself, tensing up and getting ready to avoid anything Herpo sent at him. He needed to put the erstwhile apprentice back in his place. And then he would kill him and be free of the traitorous wretch forever. Herpo would never threaten him or his daughter again.

"Well, I've spent enough time talking." Herpo said with a smile, baring his teeth. "It's time to die, my dear old master."

"Your right. It is your time to die." Harry muttered. An instant later he lunged forward; twisting his wand and silently sending a concussive wave of force that would liquefy Herpo's organs and crush his bones to a pulp. It was too kind a fate for him.

Herpo looked at the pale blue wave and cocked his head at it quizzically before reacting faster than Harry believed possible. He simply stepped to the right and _vanished_ somehow before reappearing a safe distance away.

Harry didn't give the younger man time to recover. Even as Herpo stepped out of the shadows due to some bastardization of apparition, the older wizard had sent two killing curses streaking towards him. Herpo did the same trick again, reappearing in his original position.

He gritted his teeth in annoyance and waved his wand. A massive wall of bright flame burst from the tip, leaving nowhere for Herpo to hide. Harry kept his wand up as the fire circled around Herpo's thin form.

The wand stayed up when it became apparent that the attack was less effective than he had hoped. Rather than destroy Herpo, it had simply coalesced into a sphere around Herpo as the younger wizard conjured a shield. The flame swirled around Herpo's form before being redirected back at Harry in the form of a thin stream.

Harry easily twisted the flame with his wand, bringing it back under his control before causing it to vanish. He prepared to launch another attack at Herpo when a pale green streak of light struck him in the arm.

He screamed in pain as the curse ate through the thin layer of clothing covering his flesh and began to burn into his arm. Harry quickly negated the effects of the primitive curse with a tap of his wand but remained on his guard. Several more of the curses streaked at him from the darkness where Herpo had escaped to, but his slabs were able to intercept all of them.

Herpo didn't allow him to regain the offensive. More and more of the primitive spells flashed from the darkness from all directions. Harry easily batted them away with his wand or dodged them, but he wasn't able to strike back.

That went on for a time until Harry began to tire. He realized that Herpo had grown far more than he could ever have anticipated in the years since he had last fought him. Harry had spent more time training Thera and protecting the weak people of Greece from magical beasts than he had preparing himself for the inevitable confrontation between them. He had remained stagnant.

His former apprentice had become more powerful than he had anticipated, but Harry knew that he hadn't advanced enough to defeat him. No matter how far he had delved into the Dark Arts, they would still be far more primitive than the complicated rituals and spells that Harry had combated in his own time. Herpo could not win this fight.

So the older wizard began to truly duel. He found himself slipping into the old forms and motions he had perfected in his time as an auror, letting the rigidness flow out of his limbs and mind. Harry moved with the battle, not focusing on any one thing but simply acting and reacting to the situation. The crude curses Herpo had created were deflected into the walls of his home or redirected towards their sender.

Harry could barely feel the fatigue any more. The thrill of combat had replaced it, invigorating his limbs and giving him a thirst for Herpo's blood. He knew that Herpo was becoming exhausted as well. His spells were coming at a slower rate and lacked the vibrant intensity that his first had possessed. Herpo was also staying in a single position for longer periods of time, no longer melding in and out of the shadows at his whims.

He began to move on the offensive. Herpo dodged everything he threw at him, so Harry decided to try something else. If he couldn't hit his foe with conventional spells, he would just have to delve into spells that affected a wider area.

"Ignitious!" He growled under his breath. The words bound his magic into the form he desired and a bright ball of swirling flame appeared at his wand's tip. Harry aimed his wand at the ground near him and thrust it downwards, releasing the ball from the wand. Even as it travelled the short distance to the ground, Harry created a shield that would protect him from the resulting flames.

Harry still felt the intense heat from the flames that blasted outwards from the ball's impact area, although the effect was muted compared to what Herpo would be feeling. He wanted to believe that the flames had killed Herpo, but he was too pragmatic for that. All the flames did was buy him time to weaken his foe.

He triumphantly raised his wand up into the air as the last flickers of flame began to vanish from the world, leaving the shadows that Herpo hid in its wake.

"Lumos Solem!" He muttered. His volume was a stark contrast to the euphoria he felt as bright light erupted out of the wand, banishing the shadows with the power of a miniature sun.

Harry's glasses – long ago enchanted to shield from sudden shifts in light and with other spells useful for his vision – allowed him to revel in Herpo's obvious pain as he was revealed. In the light the traitorous apprentice was truly revealed to Harry's eyes, the shadows that should never have hidden him from the master vanished.

He wasn't impressed. Herpo's eyes were the familiar pale yellow, but they lost their eerie glow in the light. The well-made clothes looked loose and thin, ravaged with small tears and stained with dirt that had remained hidden in the shadow. His pale skin and thin body – things that made him look imposing and like a specter from one of the old stories in the darkness that Herpo had found refuge in – made him look like a fragile man who had been dealt a hard hand in life, not the cruel, manipulative bastard he was.

Harry raised his hand and released a stream of bright white flame towards the cowering man. His wand remained high in the air, releasing the cleansing light that seared and weakened Herpo and his foul power.

The apprentice was clawing at his face as the magical light struck him. Harry had a smile on his face as the traitorous bastard that had likely destroyed dozens of lives in the time he had last seen him was immersed in the fire that would purify the world of his presence.

Herpo recoiled from the light and was trying to escape. Harry snarled and moved in for the kill. He fired a sickly green killing curse at Herpo, almost laughing as he realized that this would be the end of this chapter of his life. It was better left forgotten.

But Herpo, as always, twisted his plans. Something seemed to snap in him. The enchanted flames were snuffed out as his pale yellow eyes were suddenly obscured by a shroud of thick, impenetrable smoke. Shadows seemed to come to him from all corners of the room, swirling around his feet and legs. They did not disappear, despite the bright light.

He twisted again, traversing space and time and appearing in shadows that he had brought into existence. The killing curse hit the wall where Herpo was, leaving a black scorch mark.

Harry's face twisted into a scowl and he abandoned any restraint. He focused on the light, coaxing more power out of the wand. Herpo shied away from the powerful light, but he wasn't scurrying away from it as Harry had hoped.

The shadows continued to grow, ignoring Harry's attempts to stall whatever Herpo was planning. He thrust his hand at Herpo – who had begun to run across the room in an attempt to avoid Harry's retribution – and blasted his apprentice with electricity.

Herpo failed to avoid the arcs of lightning. He had just begun to twist into the shadows when it hit, disrupting the dark wizard's focus and forcing him to the ground. Harry grinned when he realized the bastard was missing an arm. Apparently that strange form of teleportation operated similar to apparition. Herpo had just been splinched.

He didn't say anything to Herpo before sending a killing curse at the downed wizard. Harry didn't pause after the first curse and sent several more into the area, just in case Herpo was able to overcome his pain and escape the first.

The curses missed. Herpo didn't twist or make any movement to escape the curses – he simply dissolved into shadow after sending a hate-filled glare at Harry. Harry stood stock still when he realized that his former apprentice had run. With a tense flick he ended his light spell.

"Damn it!" He screamed, too lost in his rage to care about acting like a petulant child.

Herpo was gone, too cowardly to continue fighting. The dark wizard was free to continue exploring dark magic. There was no doubt that Herpo would return to threaten Thera's life in the future, and in the mean time he could do whatever he wanted to in Greece.

"Damn it." He repeated softly. Herpo was gone.

But at least he'd taken something from the bastard – his arm. Harry glanced around the room – dark without his spell – and managed to spy out a blood shape. He flicked his wand and cast _lumos_.

Harry had a cold smile on his face when he saw that it was truly Herpo's arm. At least Herpo wasn't able to escape unscathed. He didn't know what abominable arts Herpo had discovered, but he doubted that they would be able to replace his arm.

Harry glanced at it again before leveling his wand at the severed limb. He had to leave soon in order to avoid Kronos – if Herpo was his lieutenant the entity couldn't be too far behind – and didn't want Herpo getting it back. Herpo might not be able to replace his arm, but Harry was sure he had a way to reattach it.

"Incendio."

A small burst of flame burst from his wand and settled on the pale, bloody limb. The flame followed Harry's will and quickly burned through the arm until only the bone remained. Harry looked at in disgust and increased the flames' intensity until even the bone was ash.

When his act of spite was completed, he glanced around the home one last time. It held many fond memories of Thera and was one of his few sanctuaries from his work.

He wouldn't return. That life was behind him now. Nostalgia wouldn't keep him or Thera alive.

Harry sighed and apparated. He couldn't apparate all the way to Melite's mountain while he was so exhausted. Small jumps were still possible, however. They would have to do until he was safe.

Of course, when his idea of safety was staying with Melite it took on a rather gray meaning.

XX

Harry was breathing heavily when he landed at the base of Melite's mountain. He had jumped three times to get here, each in rapid succession. It had taken quite a bit out of him, especially considering he had just left one of the most intense fights of his life.

He stood up when he had caught his breath and looked around. Harry hadn't visited this mountain in a long time – he had always skirted around it when he had to travel in this region for fear of attracting Melite's attention. She already had his blood. He wouldn't let her get any more power over him.

It was just as he remembered it – ethereal, mysterious, and beautiful beyond belief. Mist hung in the air, obscuring anything a long way away from his eyes. The forest that sprawled over the mountain and encircled it appeared to be molded from silver in the moonlight. Leaves glinted like crystals from the perpetually damp air.

The mountain itself wasn't the most beautiful thing there, however. What made it the otherworldly, perfect place that it was was the magic that pervaded every bit of the mountain and its ecosystem: it was in the rocks, in the animals, in the plants, in the air. Magic was everywhere.

Despite its beauty, Harry didn't allow himself to be lost in it. There was a darkness hiding behind the beauty, the cruelty hidden beneath the gilded forest.

The forest just felt…_wrong_, somehow. Inhuman and ancient beyond belief.

Melite's influence was there, even if it was hidden behind the impossibly beautiful sights. He could feel that it meant him no harm – the way the magic gently encased him and curiously moved over his body was enough to prove that – but it was so fundamentally different from him that it made the hair on the back of his neck raise.

Nevertheless, he found the path and began to make his way up the mountain. He found that his exhaustion was slowly being wiped away and replaced with energy. Melite's influence at work, no doubt.

He resolutely continued his climb, only sparing passing glances to his ethereal surroundings. Harry ignored the quiet giggles that sounded throughout the mountain as he walked through. They were likely produced by Melite's subjects. The wizard had seen shadows shifting where they shouldn't have and had caught the shortest glimpses of the magical creatures watching him.

The whispers and mocking laughter that echoed in the emptiness of the mountain followed him. Harry wasn't even sure where he was going. He just followed the path to wherever it might take him. Melite would guide him to her.

Soon enough his mind began to wander. He thought of Kronos, Herpo ,and the other threats and problems that were tearing his previously safe and cozy life apart. Harry tried to come up with ways to defeat Kronos, but came up empty handed.

He didn't like the power of these new beings entering his life. Kronos was powerful enough to lock him in place without even thinking about it – its mere presence was enough to put him to his knees. It made Voldemort – the most powerful Dark Wizard of all time, according to everything he knew – look like a child, only capable of toying with basic magic.

As much as Harry hated to admit, he needed help with Kronos. Herpo had grown more powerful and had discovered secrets that Harry had never heard about, such as that strange form of apparition he used, and was a more…personal…threat, but he was still able to handily beat the whelp.

It was only Kronos that worried him, although Herpo would keep him up at night as well. Kronos was an enigma, a force that Harry couldn't stand up against that had seemingly come out of nowhere. And he didn't even know the full extent of its power, only that Kronos was wary of Melite.

Suddenly, his thoughts trailed away. The magic was growing stronger. The air was growing thick and heavy with moisture. It didn't bother him for some reason. It rejuvenated him, contrary to what he would ordinarily expect from such terrible humidity.

He glanced around – catching the slim, shadowed forms of Melite's subjects as he did so – and instantly locked on to the silvery pool of water to his right. Melite must have assisted him in his climb, lending him speed or shortening the distance travelled. Harry remembered it taking hours to get this far last time he visited.

Harry carefully walked to the pool, ignoring the giggles and whispers that grew stronger. He knelt down by the pool and waited for Melite to make her presence known to him. This was her territory. She would either see him now or see him soon. He was too valuable a pawn for her to do otherwise.

Suddenly the magic in the air grew even more intense. Harry gasped from the sheer power flooding the area before recovering, remaining stoic and regaining his composure.

The water in the pool solidified into two distinct shapes – that of a tall, willowy woman and a shorter girl. He stood up and waited for Melite and his daughter – at least that who he assumed the shorter, featureless figure was – to solidify.

He looked at Melite first – he couldn't help it. She was just as unnaturally beautiful as ever. Beautiful enough to distract and tempt, yet also drifting into the uncanny valley – no human could be that perfect.

His "mistress" smiled softly at him. He averted his eyes and checked that Thera was the other shape. She was.

Harry had a wide grin on his face as Thera rushed at him, wrapping her arms around him and nearly crushing his ribs. He returned the hug, although it felt awkward with Melite watching them. She was probably trying to see just how tight their bond was.

"Are you alright?" Thera asked fearfully, checking him for injuries. He smiled and hugged her again.

"I'm fine. He wasn't even able to land a hit."

That didn't seem to reassure her. "Who was that that attacked us?" Thera demanded.

Harry winced. He didn't want to answer that question yet. Thera knew of Herpo and the threat that he represented, but to her Herpo was just a distant memory that didn't have any real consequence.

"He's my apprentice. My former one, at any rate." He admitted. "I thought he'd either found somewhere to hide for good or that he'd died. "

"Wait, who were you expecting to attack, then?" She asked curiously.

"Something…more." Harry replied. He glanced at Melite. Although he been in proximity with Kronos and knew the threat he represented, he didn't really know how to describe him. The words simply escaped him. How do you describe what something that might as well have been a god?

Melite cleared her throat. Immediately the whispers and giggles of the hidden figures were silenced. The magic in the air surged in sync with her sound as it broke the strange, ethereal silence that resulted.

"I am sorry that you must know of such a grave foe, child." She said to Thera. The teenager turned to look at the beautiful woman with an expression that Harry couldn't fathom. "The threat your father sought to protect you from is an entity named Kronos. The man that attacked your home was merely his agent."

Harry stayed quiet and let Melite speak. She would ask if she needed anything of him. Speaking flippantly only invited bargains and more attention from the nymph.

Thera, however, seemed far more open to conversation with the nymph.

"How powerful is he?" She demanded. "I'm sure I could beat him!"

Melite shook her head and put a soothing, white hand upon Thera's shoulder. Although the physical contact made Harry wary, he was silently grateful to the nymph for dissuading Thera from attacking Kronos.

"He is a foe beyond either of you. You are powerful, child." Melite said as she stared into Thera's eyes, silvery meeting brown. "But Kronos is not human. He is so much more."

"We aren't humans either." Thera argued. "We can make lightning and fire and ice! We can change the weather and create things from nothing."

Melite smiled again. "You are still human. A mortal. Kronos is not. He is more than a mere human – he knows power that you cannot even imagine. Kronos dwells within an entirely different spectrum of power, one that you would scarcely register on."

Thera frowned. She didn't look convinced.

The nymph sighed and turned towards Harry. She had a softer smile this time, one that didn't seem as forced as the one she had when dealing with Thera.

"Tell me what capabilities Kronos' pawn possessed, my champion." She ordered. "I would like to know what Kronos has blessed it with."

Harry nodded. Perhaps Melite could shed light upon some of the strange abilities Herpo had displayed.

"He was able to use spells." He began. Melite nodded. She seemed familiar with the term. "They weren't powerful, but they were dangerous. "But he could also move through shadows. He was able to escape from me this way and dodge my spells through it. Herpo could also put up a field that kept me from escaping."

Melite's face was paler than usual. Her purely silver eyes looked as though they were staring at something far away, although Harry admitted that it was difficult to identify her expressions through only the silver.

"Melite?" He tentatively asked. The nymph seemed lost in her own world, although that seemed to snap her out of it. She blinked and turned to Harry. Her face was still pale.

She turned toward him. "He travelled through shadow?" The nymph asked.

Harry nodded subserviently. Melite seemed disturbed by the information. He didn't want her lashing out if she got upset.

"Ill tidings, indeed." She said clearly, recovering from whatever shock she had entered.. "That is not an ability Kronos may grant to his chosen. It invited investigation upon my part."

He spoke up. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"No, my champion." She said with that same soft smile. "You have other, grander tasks ahead of you. Tasks that are far more important than mere investigation. It is clear to me now. Kronos must be defeated – he is meddling with forces that are beyond either of our comprehension."

"What are they?" Thera asked. Melite glanced at her for a moment.

"Nothing of your concern. They are best forgotten. I will explain of them should Kronos continue his interference, but I will not spread word of them otherwise."

Thera seemed to be rather annoyed that she wasn't getting the information that she wanted. Harry smiled at that. She reminded him of Hermione sometimes, although a bit more practical and less prone to condescension. He wasn't stupid enough to get them confused, however. Hermione was gone, as good as dead to him.

He turned his attention back to Melite. She was thinking. The lesser nymphs and beings she commanded took advantage of her momentary loss of focus to curiously peer out at him from behind the trees and stones. Whenever Harry tried to look at them, however, they fled.

When Melite spoke again, the fairies and nymphs vanished back into the forest. Apparently the nymph didn't want them eavesdropping or intimidating Thera or him.

"Do you have a plan to accomplish your mission, my champion?" She asked. Harry frowned and bowed his head.

"I'm afraid not. I haven't had the time."

She smiled. Harry could feel the magic near the spring shift with her mood, growing light and airy as she grew pleased. He just paid rapt attention to her.

"That is good." She purred, circling around him. Harry stood stock still. "For I have developed one for you. The pawn is out of your reach for now. He is ethereal – catching him is like catching smoke. The Titan is beyond your capabilities."

He felt her hand on his shoulder, drenching the soft fabric. Melite's lips were close to his ear, whispering to him. Harry remained stock still, unwilling to interfere with the nymph.

"You are strong, and swift, and brave." She murmured into his ear. "But you are not ready to accomplish either of your goals. You must grow, champion. And even then, you shall need help. Help that I might be unable to give."

"What do you wish me to do?" He asked clearly. Melite circled around and looked him in the eyes. She smiled mysteriously.

"You heard the Titan's words." She replied. "Several of your kind have been born with great power since you have arrived here."

Harry blinked in surprise. Did she know of his origins?

Melite smiled in response, although he knew she couldn't have read his mind.

"Don't look so surprised, my dear champion. I do not know from whence you came, but I felt your arrival." She stated. "The world trembled as you entered. Magic erupted in areas that it has abandoned for millennia. Power was brought into several of the babes born on that day. They are blessed in a way few others can claim."

She glanced at Thera, who resolutely stared back. Melite smiled at the little show of defiance before turning back to Harry.

"Your daughter is amongst them, my champion." She said with a small smile. "It is why I desired her all those years ago. Even then I could feel her power. Untapped and untrained, but it was there, writhing and churning beneath her skin, screaming for release. I had not felt that power for a long time. Not since the Titan Age, in fact."

Harry paled, sending a short glance at his daughter. What was Melite implying? That Thera was a Titan, whatever the hell those things were? That was impossible.

"Are you saying that I'm a…a Titan?" Thera asked dumbly. "What is that? Some sort of monster?"

Melite turned her head towards Thera, although she continued to face Harry.

"No." She said firmly. "You are powerful, but you are not a Titan. Their kind has been dead and forgotten for an age. But your power…it reminds me of their children."

Harry exhaled a sigh of relief, although he noticed that Thera seemed a little miffed about being compared to children. He didn't know why – she was still just a child herself.

"Enough of this." Melite said musically. "Our time grows short. My champion, you must gather these children. They are your greatest weapon against Kronos and his pawns. Only with their aid may you force the Titan to my mountain."

And then she would kill him, Harry knew. Melite was likely the only one capable of truly killing Kronos, but, as the Titan had said, she was limited. Her power was great, but she was bound to this mountain and the surrounding areas. Harry knew that she would have to be able to access her full power in order to slay Kronos.

"How will I find them?" He asked curiously as the thought struck him. Harry was a great fighter, but he was no sleuth. There was no way he could find a few children in the entirety of Greece, or – he grimaced as the thought struck him – the world.

"Worry not, my dear champion." She murmured as she drew closer. If Harry moved forward an inch he would run into her. It made him rather uncomfortable. "I can not bring them here myself, but I can sense them. They are bonfires amongst mere candles. Now, kneel."

Harry couldn't have resisted if he wanted to. She might not be using magic, but her voice held a power to it, one that he couldn't have resisted in normal circumstances. And here, in her place of power? It was impossible.

But her voice's power did not come in the mere tone or strength it carried. Her voice didn't merely batter at his mind with magic until he obeyed. It gently caressed his mind, asking it to do her bidding. He couldn't find it in him to resist.

He knelt. She smiled and laid a perfect, white hand upon his forehead. Harry gasped as he felt it. Her hand was cold. Not icy, but just cold enough to be uncomfortable. Whether it was from her or her magic he wasn't sure.

Then it hit. Her mind – her vast, powerful, immortal mind that dwarfed his – encompassed his and gently entered. Information and power flooded through him.

For one moment, Harry knew what it was to be Melite. He could feel the entire mountain and the entirety of Greece, although her power grew weaker and weaker as the distances grew greater. Harry could feel every life force – the tiny microbes that piled up until they were everywhere, the normal beasts and men, the immortal nymphs and fairies that danced through the wilds, even the undiscovered, unlearned wizards. He knew everything, felt everything.

It must have been what a god felt like. Harry couldn't see Melite's thoughts – they were guarded from him – but he could fully understand just the barest hint of the enormous power she wielded in that instant.

Then he felt the children that she spoke of. They were more than bonfires amongst candles – they were roaring infernos, overshadowing everything else in the areas they were in and blinding him.

And then there was Thera. He could detect her just a mere few feet away from him. She burned brightly, although not to the degree that the other children did.

He dropped to the ground when her soft, cold hand left him. Only dampness and cold remained of the contact.

His body was drained. Every muscle screamed out in agony as he tried to pull him up, and he wearily crashed to the ground. There was no way that he could move or fight against that pain.

"I'm not a god, dear one." He heard Melite murmur into his ear. Harry didn't open his eyes, but he knew that she had to be only a few centimeters away from him. Her lips felt as though they were about to brush his ear. "Not even close. But I'm flattered, nonetheless."

With that her presence seemed to vanish, taking some of the magic of the spring with her. The whispers and giggles of the nymphs and fairies returned to life as their mistress left.

Thera rushed over to him when Melite had vanished, although Harry knew that that didn't mean that she wasn't watching. She frantically shook his shoulder, sending spears of agony slicing through his nerves.

"I'm fine." He whispered hoarsely. His throat was very dry. "But please stop shaking me. I'm very sore."

"What happened?" She asked, her expression becoming resolute. "Do you need me to help?"

He didn't nod. That would hurt far too badly. Talking was painful, but it wasn't as bad as actually moving.

"Please get me some water." He requested. Harry interrupted Thera when she moved to the silvery spring. "Not from there. Conjure it and a glass."

While Harry didn't think that Melite would want to harm him, he wasn't sure what effects the powerfully magical water would have on him. Even if it didn't hurt him, it would likely give Melite some measure of control over him. Taking gifts – even unintentionally – could be tricky in that way.

He sighed in relief as Thera carefully poured a bit of water into his mouth, soothing his dry, aching throat and relieving a measure of his pain. She slowly repeated the process until Harry told her to stop. Harry didn't want to get sick, even if his body was crying out for more.

"Go into that cavern." He instructed his daughter. His voice was more relaxed now and had mostly returned to normal. "I'll come in and explain everything to you when I'm able to move."

"Are you sure there isn't anything else I can do for you?" She asked dubiously. "I don't want to just leave you out here. Not with those _things_," she muttered, casting a glance towards the forest around them, "lurking about."

Harry gave her a half-smile. "I'll be fine. Melite won't let any harm come to me. Everything on this mountain is bound to her will."

Thera glanced at him again before sighing and following his command. Perhaps she had caught the unintentional double-meaning of his words, although he realized that it was quite an apt description for Thera and he as well. They were both at Melite's mercy – she had saved their lives and provided their only method of living in peace. She had all the power here.

Nevertheless, he simply waited for the magic in the air to gently surround him and slowly bring strength into his tired body. Harry wasn't sure how long the process took – it could have been a few minutes or a few hours. Time was difficult to measure in Melite's sanctuary.

He was almost afraid to move when the magic slowly began to leave him as it recognized its job was done. Memories of that awful pain he had suffered flashed to mind whenever he prepared to make a movement – it felt as though contact with Melite's mind and magic had simply been too much for him, frying his nerves and tearing his muscles apart.

But he finally asserted his control over his own desires and stood up. Harry didn't give his body time to argue, standing up in a movement too fast for him to stop.

Nothing happened. He was standing, but there was no pain. His aching, torn body was completely healed by Melite's power – the same power that had broken him down in a mere moment.

Harry had to smile at that. Apparently Melite didn't want her champion being hurt for very long. But his smile dropped when he realized that he had to go explain everything to Thera. It would be one of the most difficult things he had ever done, for sure.

It was pretty hard to explain things when you yourself had no idea what was going on, after all.


End file.
